Tekken: The Tale of two Brothers
by The Secret Judge
Summary: The life of an unlucky soul, caught in the crossfire of the Mishima Family may have more to do with them than he may have originally thought. With the one person who made his existence meaningful gone, his so called brother falling down the same path of his father and father before him, and carrying a burden no one would wish on their worst enemy; how will he survive?
1. Two Men

(Hi, I'm The Secret Judge (just Judge is fine) and I'm someone who is fairly new to the whole Fan Fiction scene but I have been ultra-excited for the impending release of Tekken 7 later this year and this site with its huge abundance of Tekken fanfic has helped a lot in the slow lead up. I have been inspired by excellent narratives like "The Return" by SomeStoriesDeserveToBeTold and "The Devil's Bodyguard" by Wellsy71 for their incredible ability to engross you into the story and I hope to replicate their genius in my workings. This is a little bit different from the usual tales that can be found here. It's an idea that I have thought about surprisingly around the time Tekken 4 came out; what if Jin had a brother? I won't give out too much here but I hope that what I can expel from my head onto the screen will become a worthy read. I will not be focusing entirely on the OC as I intend to follow the original canon in such a way that things will not go too out of place by developing relationships along the way and dancing with the possibility of a few LEMONS. Anyways this will be a long one but right now I have plenty of free time to focus on this for the remaining month, enjoy!

* * *

Tekken: The accursed life of Himitsu

Chapter 1 – Two Men

The skies around the Ishikari Mountains were blanketed in swirling thunderclouds leaving little to no light peeking through on this late afternoon. The clouds were almost magically converging over a rustic fortress only recently built but now looked like a war had gone on here; and actually, they were. At the heart of this battered construct which upon closer inspection looked more like a temple for an ancient fighting style was a raised courtyard which served as a Zen garden, at its heart stood two men standing at an arm's length apart, starring their opposite down. The air between them was pure electric as they stood under the darkness of the impending thunderstorm even though it seemed that an even more frightening lightning show was about the take place between these two. One of the men were wearing a hooded jacket with red flame outlines and its zipper low enough to expose the granite pecs of this chest. He wore red arm gauntlets which went from his fingers all the way over this shoulders, black biker pants and red boots. Under his hoodie were dark brown eyes lightly covered by the scattered bangs of his raven black hair, his name was Jin Kazama. Before him was an equally impressive man who stood only 2 inches higher than the previous dressed in a black martial arts garb that slightly resembled that of a shaolin warrior. His legs were covered in the loose and puffy fabric which was tightened and strapped from his ankle to just above his shin and wore crude metal foot guards over his shoes. Flowing white fabric cascaded around his waistline with a black and white lined piece of fabric diagonally wrapped over his left shoulder bearing many ancient symbols whilst exposing his equally impressive chest and abdomen. His arm guards were equal as crude and metallic as his foot guards but didn't extend beyond his elbows. His face held sparsely any similar features to Jin although only for special reasons. For one his hair was long and untamed, almost like a lions' mane but has surprisingly stiff and rigid at most areas with the longest strands out the back held together in a spiked out ponytail. It was mainly all black except for a white pigment streak on the left, above his forehead. But at its base was a thick pale scar that spanned from the top left of his head, down between the right eye and his nose, down and narrowly around the right side of his mouth all the way to under his chin. This man's name was simply Himitsu.

The tension was too high to even fathom between the two as flashes of lightning and the following clap of thunder drew closer and closer to another. Both men seemed to be done talking with each other as their fists clenched ever tighter and sparks fizzled through their body.

"It seems the opportunity for your peaceful submission has finally come and passed, brother." Stated Himitsu.

Jin turned his body sideways and assumed his fighting stance adding, "The time you could call me a brother has been passed long since, you are no brother to me and no son to my mother. You, are a monster."

The accusation stung at Himitsu but his facial expression did not show it, instead he got into fighting stance also, "How dare you speak about her like you know her, ever since you were born she feared the monster you'd grow into, or better yet take after. You are the monster, not me!"

Droplets of rain started to slowly drop onto the garden and the wind would just as slowly pick up and twirl in song around the two fighters.

"Your allegiance with Akuma will bear you nothing in the end," said Jin "Once my father and grandfather are done with he will come after whoever leaves this place, even you. No matter how distant, the same Mishima blood flows through you as well and you will never be safe from the Devil."

"You think I'm with that brute? What he does with your family is nothing but good news and further-more I know that his sights are only on Kazuya and Heihachi." Himitsu inhaled slowly readying his next words "That leaves the Devil in you, I'm going to rip the Devil Gene out of your body and grind it into the sand, even if I have to tear out of every corner of your body, even if I have to kill you."

Thunder and Lightning drew closer and closer together and electricity itself started to surge from the bodies of the two combatants; Jin's was a bright red whilst Himitsu's was a sparkling white. Their eyes still burning into each other's, looking into the face of the one they called brother at one time; training together under the graceful eye of their mother up until the fateful day she disappeared at the hands of a terrible beast. That same beast that was there in that courtyard at that very moment.

"You talk to me like I'm the only one with blood on their hands, yet you carry an evil that possesses even greater amounts of malice that even the Devil wouldn't touch. We both know what it did to us!"

"At least I can control the evil in me Jin, can you truly say the same?"

"All I know is that you still have the blood of a Mishima in you, the same blood that made you coax me into nearly throwing my life away to Azazel to no avail."

"I didn't make you start a goddamn war with the rest of the world!" yelled Himitsu "That so called prophecy was your own undoing, you should have died in that temple! But you're already dead aren't you? Well… brother, it's time I made sure of that."

"Make. Your. Move." Said Jin

They were no longer brothers at this point and terms like rivals, adversaries and enemies didn't even scratch the loathing they felt for one another at this moment. Each had a monster hidden inside them and it was the other one's destiny to destroy it once and for all. A thick bolt of lightning struck the very peak of the fortress filling the surrounding area with blinding light and at that moment two men threw fists at one another. Both with the same goal but with different results, nothing mattered other than the utter demolition of their foe and if they had the bare more than fists at eachother, so be it.


	2. Child of Misfortune

Chapter 2 – Child of Misfortune

 _Everyway the child looked he could feel fire and death encompass him, he was being held tightly by a figure with no face or at least one that he couldn't make sense of. Inaudible screams and cries could be heard as well as the unmistakeable crack on machinegun fire. The child could not cry or even speak for that matter, as he was but an infant, but he could make out what was happening around him. A nameless force had attacked this place and its inhabitants were being massacred. Who the force was and even the ones dwelling on this place could not be recognised nor distinguished but the child wanted to scream regardless, still unable to do so. The person holding him stops and a sea of words passes over the child's head as unintelligible than anything heard previous. The child is exchanged to another and is made off into darkness and all the while as the blackness takes hold, a haze of purple starts to grow and rise up and for the first time a voice can be made out, maniacal laughter fills the void and consumes the dwindling sanity of the infant._

In a sweat a 7 year old boy jerks awake; he moved around to negate the petrified feeling in his body and shakes the final signs of sleep away. Turning his body, his feet move off the old smelly mattress and the touch concrete floor of the make-shift shack he resided in. Peering through the gaps he could see the Sun making its rise above the apartment complexes of Kagoshima city.

 _It's going to be a hot one today_ , the boy thought to himself. Changing his clothes with the ones he had swiped from a clothes charity box he put on his slippers and headed off in search of food. Although he was 7, the child was very street smart when it came to living on his own in such poverty and had been doing so for just over a year. Prior to this way of life, he had been living in an orphanage, although calling it an orphanage was satire as it was more like a child prison really. Situated in Kumamoto, the orphanage was a huge blocked off complex hidden in the Kyushu capital and was by far the dullest building in the city. The boy couldn't remember how long he had lived there but in its walls he had learnt tough life lessons from an early age. Both the older children and wards of the orphanage were ruthless on bad days and since the age of five the child had been plotting to escape. They had been pushed into reading and writing from an early age in such a forceful manner it was practically drilled into them to accomplish these difficult tasks, for children their age, or face the consequences. The child was one of the youngest ones there and as such was bullied by the tougher, older orphans and abused by the vile wards and wardens of the facility. He had to learn the hard way how to defend himself and fight for his share and from the punishment he endured, his body had toughened up. When he was 6 he found his opportunity to escape during an inspection of the orphanage; whilst the workers were preoccupied and the other children were locked away, the child's plan would spring into action armed with a sharpened butter knife, a bobby pin and a stolen taser from one of the wardens. After downing two workers with the remaining charges of the taser, a third would be stabbed in the shoulder blade with the knife. Once a key card was secured the boy had everything he needed to break out and he never looked back.

He had travelled for several days South finding what he could to stave off his hunger until he had reached Kagoshima city which already had a street brat dilemma so he fitted in just fine. From the moment he was adequately situated, the child went hard to work stealing and scavenging whatever he could and no matter how many days could go by with any food to eat, he still made do. In over a year's time he had stashed and secured an impressive hoard, particularly for someone of his youth. This secret stash was known only to him; hidden in one of the city's older towers, underground and safe behind some well-placed rock slabs. In it were all sorts of jewellery, trinkets, small statues, fine pottery and even exotic weapons; the contents ranged in prices of a few thousand yen to some being well over 400,000 yen. As undeniable as the riches were, at his age he knew he could not barter with it. Instead he chose to continue building up his treasure and wait until he was old and tough enough to sell his little fortune.

As the child made his way to a food vendor holding enough yen for a bento he thought about the dream he had earlier. It wasn't the first time he had had it and he was becoming increasingly scared of falling asleep because of it. While he may be no ordinary kid, it was dreams such as that which could bring out the child within.

He approached the vendor, "One fish bento please."

Paying the man, he began to hastily eat his food as his mind wandered to other matters. He needed to head a couple blocks down and find a bunch of hoodlums who had attacked him a week prior taking with them some necklaces he had stolen; one of them had mini diamonds laced in gold and he desperately wanted that one back. They had taken him by surprise and left him in a street with cuts and bruises but this time would be different, he had dealt with this little group of three before and although they were older than him by a couple years, he was both smarter and a lot tougher when it counted. Over the year he had learnt of the different groups of street brats and would-be gangsters that were scattered across the city and like his time in the orphanage he affiliated with no one. People knew of his hoarded collection of items but no one knew where it was and that has how he liked it and he had zero desire in sharing his bounty. Tossing the empty bento aside he ducked into an alley adjacent to the hoodlum's street and started scaling the wall using signs, air-con boxes and poles as footholds. He finally made his way into position and eyed the trio; one of them was lounging on a broken recliner while the other two were arguing over a collection of trading cards stacked on a stool between them. Like a cat, the young boy made his way slowly down to the group, making sure not to make any unnecessary noise. As he got closer to the two near the stool he pulled out a tin can with a shiv sticking out of one end; the can had part of its outer cylinder rolled back both way revealing a handle for the shiv inside, it looked almost like a rapier. Silently he dropped behind the two, readying himself.

"You keep on cheating!" Said one of the brats.

"Where on the rules does it say I can't play those two cards together- oh wait, your rules." Replied the other with a sneer.

"Sanda soldier doesn't mix with the water spell card, only with thunder and fire."

"No stupid, it's only his weakness that he can't draw strength from, that being earth."

"Yeah, and he can't draw strength from water either as he is strong against water."

"Why? He's not weak to-

The young boy speed forwards and using the tin rapier like brass knuckles, struck the brat in the back of the head, sending him to the floor in a daze. Before the other could retaliate the boy grabbed him at the collar and punched him right in the nose with the can. As the hoodlum winced in pain the boy sweep kicked his leg, forced him into a kneeling position and by the time the hoodlum in the recliner had got up and rushed to help, the boy had his free arm around the kneeling brat's neck and the shiv of the tin can aimed to the neck also.

"Where are my necklaces Jaku?" demanded the boy to the unharmed hoodlum.

Cautiously came his response, "Ok, calm down bro, just leave my pal alone and I'll give them to you."

"You give them to me and I'll let him go," the boy snapped back, "Better hurry, I'm not very patient."

"Ok, ok, ok then." Said the hoodlum as he quickly walked inside a little house where they resided. The brat held by the boy tried squirming but he quickly stopped when the boy pressed the shiv onto his neck. A few people were looking at the scene unfold; blood was coming out of one of the brat's nostrils while the other on the ground was clutching his hand in pain, making no move to stand up and face his attacker. The third hoodlum finally came back with a bunch of necklaces and slowly handed them over. The boy scanned the necklace and noticed that two were missing.

"Hey! You're missing some you asshole!"

"No I'm not that's all that we have."

"Stop lying, I know two are missing! One had a jade piece and the other…" the boy's eyes narrowed, "The other was gold with little diamonds, give them to me now!"

"We don't have them!" pleaded the hoodlum, "Those ones we gave to an older guy just the other day."

"Who!"

"I don't know his name…"

The boy knew he was stalling, he pressed the shiv harder onto the other brat's neck and the skin surrounding it started going red as it nearly broke through.

"Stop! I know he's with the 20 Busters, he's got orange hair and tattoos on his left arm. That's all, just take these and leave my friend alone!"

Seeing no doubt in the brat's words, the boy swiftly snatched the remaining necklaces out of his hand and pushed the other brat away. Staring at the third hoodlum for a moment longer, he then backed off and quickly moved away, stuffing the necklaces into his pocket. Most of them were worthless to him and all he wanted was the diamond and gold one. The 20 Busters weren't like the three back there, they were much older and an actual gang in this city. Also they resided much further North of where the boy's shack was so it felt like a real trek to say the least, there was even the possibility that the necklace may already be gone by the time he found the guy. He was almost decided on cutting his losses and abandoning his search but his desire for the necklace was too much to pass on. _That necklace could definitely be around 100,00 yen,_ the boy thought to himself. With that he quickly stopped by his shack, stored the necklaces in a safe spot, and headed up North. The day was still young and his inner fire burned with excitement and purpose.


	3. Light of Righteousness

(Hello again, just posting a little note about the story as a whole. It will span from the aftermath of Tekken 2 up to Tekken 7 and my hope is to make the story as close to the official canon as possible whilst adding new elements through the new character to explain parts of the real story in hopefully a muchg better way. That's the beauty of the Tekken universe, many of its plots and sub-plots are open to interpretation. Once again, enjoy!)

* * *

Chapter 3 – Light of Righteousness

Travelling along the bay area of Kagoshima city, the boy made his way North to the 20 Buster territory passing in and out of under-crofts as a light rain passed through. His mind was in a battle as to whether this was or would be worth it once he found the orange haired punk; he knew very well that taking on a gang to get back an expensive necklace had a success probability of 0 and even if he cornered the punk on his own, he doubted he'd be in any position to take down someone in their mid to late teens.

He stopped by a pier and looked over the bay out towards Mt. Sakurajima, the water was clear and easily reflected the scattered clouds overhead. He looked down below straight in his reflection; his profile was masked in areas with dirt and near-healed cuts were visible around his face. His hair was long and oily and he never bothered to cut it, in-fact since leaving the orphanage he never did. While there, all children no matter their gender, had their heads shaven regularly and he loathed any way of reminding him of his time there, thus opting to never hair it again for as long as he could. He wore baggy shorts with large enough pockets to conceal what he had and whatever he took along the way and a j metal t-shirt.

 _There's only one way you're going to find out if he still has the necklace,_ he convinced himself.

He rarely ventured this far North of the city, most of the buildings here were unrecognisable to him and the environment looked too clean. He felt out of place in this area but as he got closer to 20 Buster territory, those feelings of sticking out soon vanished. Still the boy knew that he wasn't in his element as this part of the city was unlawful and dangerous, definitely no place for someone his age. It was past noon and already it looked like petty crime was picking up in the area and the inner child of the boy was starting to resurface. He swallowed sharply at his current predicament but continued on until he reached the 20 Buster hangout.

20 Buster were well established for a gang of late teen to young adult gang members, they controlled Kagoshima and had their hands in Miyazaki to the east. They ran drug trades and prostitution between the two Kyushu cities and were notorious for they violent nature to anyone and everyone who tried to get in their way. This hangout was their main hub in Kagoshima and if the boy knew anything, every member in the city could pay this place a visit at least once a day. Scanning the members hanging outside he couldn't find anyone with both orange hair and tattoos on this left arm so he settled on waiting under an apartment entrance opposite until he found his target. He pulled out a bag of sweet rice he had snatched from a store earlier and slowly ate, continuously passing his eyes over the members.

Hours went by and the Sun had moved to the opposite side of the bay, setting down in the West. Evening was settling in and still the orange haired gangster hadn't shown up. The boy was starting to drift off, feeling his eyes getting heavier the longer he sat down. _Was this all for nothing?_ He thought, _I don't want to stay out here too late, the walk home would be far too dangerous._ He stood up and stretched to break off the sleep trying to induce him and leaned against the wall of the entrance. Suddenly he left laughter and heckling coming from the alley behind him causing him to swap walls to hid his presence. Eyeing out of the corner he saw three gangsters come into view; each held a bottle of Japanese beer with one also holding the beer case and others with an arm over each other's shoulder.

"Naro, you crazy motherfucker!" yelled one of the men, they were all obviously drunk off the beer.

"Don't be jealous Ken, we all know that if I didn't fuck that bitch, you would have hahahaha!"

 _Is this how I'm gonna talk when I'm older?_ Thought the boy, _They act all wicked and harsh to one another, and even worse to girls…_ He would usually listen to people of that age talk as he wondered if he would have to do the same when he was older. He always imagined that he would end up like one of these gangsters, although he didn't think he would even be able to trust such people at all. At the slightest sign of weakness, they could turn on one another, betraying friend to save their own skin. Perhaps there was more he could do with his life in the future, but for now, he would have to continue along this path he was on until he had the right time to change it. His eyes widened when he looked at the group again, looking at the one called Ken. He had spiky orange hair and although his arm wasn't fully visible due to the rolled up jacket he adorned; on the left arm slung over his friend's shoulders was a coloured mural tattoo that went past his wrist. Had he found the guy? His back was turned and the jacket covered the back of his neck so it was unknown as to whether he was wearing either of the two necklaces. His questioned were both fortunately and unfortunately answered where a loosely dress teenage girl walked between the three; Ken would eye the girl and instinctively lifted his arm off his friend, twirled around and slapped the girl's ass. With full view of the gangster's face, the boy looked at his neckline and saw a necklace with a jade piece.

"It's him…" he muttered to himself

"Fuck off asshole!" screamed the girl to Ken

"Come on baby, I can give you a good time. I could feel your heat on my hand."

"I said fuck off" the girl turned abruptly and stomped off.

"Leave the bitch alone," said their friend holding the beer case, "There are more sluts inside ready to suck our cock, she's probably had enough as it is."

"That's what I'm talking about, fuck that bitch!" jeered Ken, "Pass me another brew Woozy, I'm empty."

With that the three men would stumble into the hangout leaving the boy to plan a course of action. He wasn't getting in through the front, that much was obvious, he would have to get in through an open window somewhere. While he hadn't seen the other, more important, necklace; he could surmise that Ken still had it on him. If he had acquired it from the hoodlums the other day, it doesn't seem like he had parted with it if he wore the other. As silly as it sounded, to the boy it made some sense. Ken still had that necklace and despite not being alone, his drunken state could be used to the boy's advantage. Silently walked around the area, he finally found an open window to the hangout, but it was three stories high up. Leaving to look around for anything to aid his climb, his luck would eventually bear fruit as he came across a pile of long, dried bamboo branches and shortly after a garbage container, shifting through the trash he found some liners used to hold cardboard boxes together and stripped the liners off. He then picked up the two longest, strongest bamboo pieces he could find and through the alleyways of Kagoshima, brought them to the hangout once again. Darkness had started to replace the light as the night crept in and yet nothing as going to deter the boy after how far he had come now. Tying one end of the two pieces of bamboo together, creating a peak, he put his junk ladder to the wall and saw that it was a few feet shy of the thankfully still open window; he would have to have his feet near the top to reach it. Despite the dangers of a wrong move and a fatal fall back to solid ground, he was no stranger to climbing and heights didn't really scare him. He took his slippers off his feet would better drip the bamboo, stuffed them in his shorts and started climbing. Slowly and carefully he made his way up, no hint of fear on his face, only focused on the goal at hand. When he reached the peak he even slowly started to grip his hand to the wall and nudge his feet up the remaining bamboo which was not only very steep at the peak but his feet had sweat on it, attempting to break his grip. Suddenly his foot wobbled at the top and with a fingertip away from the window sill, the bamboo ladder started tipping back. Feeling the slow fall backwards to his death starting to take place, the boy used his remaining energy to leap off the bamboo and grasp the window. Holding on to the window for dear life he heard the bamboo hit the opposite wall and then the floor with a loud sound. _Crud_ he thought to himself as surely someone must have heard it. Not wanting to waste any more time he slowly pulled himself into the window, slumping down the wall beneath in a daze.

Catching his breath, the boy slipped his slippers back on and exited the room. In enemy territory he knew it was imperative that no one saw him and stealthily wandered the corridors looking for Ken. Turning a corner, the boy could hear a mixture of deep grunting and squealing from a door slightly ajar. Curiously the boy peaked inside seeing a naked gangster furiously humping into a girl bent over before him with his back to the door. The boy felt a lump in his throat and quickly ducked out of the door, disturbed by what he saw, _Disgusting!_ Leaving the pair alone he continued looking through corridors and peered into rooms where similar actions were being performed, no orange haired gangster to be found. He then made his way down a level to continue his search when 4 men came up from the 1st floor of the hangout, in quick desperation, the boy quickly snuck into a room to hide from the group. In this room was another couple getting it on, the woman in this room was on top of the guy, bouncing seductively up and down on his shaft. Her breasts bounced in rhythm with her body and she groaned over-passionately in a way that seemed forced. The creaking of the bed from the actions on top of it masked the sound of the boy entering who hid under a nearby desk. He swapped his view between the door and the bed, making sure neither the people outside or inside the room were aware of his presence. Once feeling he was incognito once more, he slowly crawled towards the door and gave one last disgruntled look at the bed, still creaking away. As he turned his head towards the door, his eyes locked onto a familiar jacket slung on a drawer at the opposite end of the room; a jacket that belonged to someone familiar. With one more look to the bed he finally traced his eyes over to the male beneath. Orange hair. Jade piece necklace. Ken. Without a second thought he crawled silently over to the drawer, passing the foot of the bed, the woman's moaning had become genuine for once as she tilted her head back and squealed as she climaxed. The boy paid no attention to the change of volume, further relying on it to mask his movement, he reached up to the fabric of the jacket to rummage through its pockets when a shift on the bed caused him to recoil like a serpent as the orange haired gangster flipped the woman onto her back and proceeded the drill her from on top. The boy had his eyes shut tight, hoping that his body was invisible in this moment, upon realising that he was ok, he brought his attention back to the jacket. Used to pickpocketing strangers already, his hands felt every pocket and he picked off anything of value such as 20,000 yen in one of the pockets. His hand finally rested on a zipped pocket and he felt something thin and tangled, could it be? Taking a quick look back to ensure his fly-on-the-wall status, he slowly zipped open the pocket and reached in, jackpot. Out came his treasure, the gold gleaming and the mini diamonds dazzling. Ken meanwhile was gleaming in a different manner; going over the edge he came with loud exhales and slumped on top of the women in euphoria. The woman underneath had her head turned towards the drawer and her eyes met a shocked 7 year old boy.

"What the fuck are you doing you little shit?" said the woman.

"The fuck did you say bitch!" questioned Ken, still unaware of the third person in the room, he forcefully pressed down on her shoulder.

"OW! Hey, I'm not talking about you!"

Finally catching on, Ken looked right to the drawer and then left to the door seeing a small figure whisk out the door. Looking back at his jacket he put two and two together.

"The fuck?! Hey! THIEF!"

The young boy raced through the corridor towards the stairs, looking for the closest escape route. He doubled-back once some gangsters started climbing to their floor to check on all the commotion and raced to the third floor. Remembering that his mode of entry was no option as an exit, he then up to the fourth floor, hearing heavy footsteps behind him.

"Come 'ere you little nerd!" yelled Ken in a drunken rage.

 _SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!_ Was all that raced through the boy's head as he sprinted onwards. Unaware of his footing at that moment he tripped on a step, hitting the wooden floor hard. Pain shot through his knees and elbows as they took the impact and he could hear his heart thumping in his chest, but it was soon drowned out by the sound of those footsteps, coming straight for him.

 _Dammit._

Even though he was still buzzed from his drink, Ken lined up the shot perfectly, kicking the boy square in the ass. The boy's body flipped from the force, crying in pain as yen fluttered out of one of his back pockets. Ken grabbed at his collar and hoisted him up to meet his eyes.

"How dare you steal from me you little turd, do you know who I am?- RRAGHH!"

Boy had quickly slashed Ken's forearm with his tin can shiv and in that moment squirmed free but Ken's free arm grabbed at the hand holding the can. Before the boy could counter, he was punched twice in the face and one for good measure at his chest. He then thrusted he boy back onto the floor and straddled over him menacingly. The boy could only clutch for air after the third punch winded him. Other gang members had arrived at the room seeing the escalation unfold.

"Who's that Ken?"

"Some little street brat trying to steal from me, where's the necklace huh? Give it to me now!"

"t-that's mine, n-n-necklace…" gasped out of the boy.

"NO IT'S NOT! You stole it from me."

"You took it off the people who stole it from me, I'm taking it back." The boy had finally found breath. And despite his right eye feeling a little swollen, he still gave the orange hair gangster an intimidating look.

Ken wasn't in the mood for this, "You better give me the necklace right now, otherwise before I take it back myself, I'm gonna pummel you send you back in a little box to your mummy!"

The word "mummy" sparked something in the child and in response, spat in Ken's face. For a few seconds he looked dumfounded and then immediately started punching the boy in a fury. All the boy could do at this point was turn his back and try to shield the blows. Tears of pain welled in his eyes with no counter to this onslaught. Ken suddenly let up, catching his breath.

"Keep fucking him up Ken-san!" yelled one of the gangsters.

"Maybe you should literally fuck him up." Came a snickering voice, "With that hair from this angle he looks like a girl."

As if he contemplated it Ken shortly responded, "My dick was just spent when this prick invaded my room, but…" He grabbed the tin can shiv on the floor with a vile look on his face, "I will use his little knife here to split open his asshole and then slit his fucking throat."

Needing no help, Ken positioned the boy having his ass up in the air. No matter how much he tried to move and squirm, the gangster had complete control. All the boy could do was scream.

Out of nowhere the glass above them broke apart as a figure descended from up high and has soon as he had landed, he had stabbed his katana through Ken's back and out just under his left shoulder blade. Everyone was stunned by the spectacle as the sword wielding warrior quickly pulled out the sword and used his Sword Face Smash technique to slam the orange haired gangster into the ground several metres away. The boy slowly looked up at the warrior whose body shined from the light of the room. He wore metal armour pieces on his body, arms and feet. On his face he wore a scary looking Hannya mask and adorned a samurai hat known as a Sandogasa. His attention was purely focused on the men standing around him who were growing further angered and aggressive as time went on.

"FUCKING KILL THE FREAK!"

The gangsters charged wildly at the swordsman, who was ready for all of them. The first two to make the distance were launched by his Oni kick combo with a third tripped by the following leg sweep. Another 4 were rapidly dispatched by his spinning Stone Fists, knocking them all backwards and another was easily dispatched by a Nade Kujaku which sliced him down the shoulder and bashed him into a wall with his katana. As 3 rose to their feet they were knocked out cold with a move dubbed the Door Knocker where the swordsman would bash down on the gangsters' headed with the handle of his sword. One other gang member tried to rush him from behind but was met with a backflip kick knocking him down with force and the final two gangsters were downed by a flying knee called Fubuki. The boy was shocked at the sight, not a single hand was laid on the swordsman as he demolished the competition but the time for victory was bittersweet as 6 more gang members made their way onto the fourth floor, surrounding the swordsman once again, this time with weapons of their own. They were more cautious than the previous men and slowly closed the distance with the man in the middle. The swordsman's response was to quickly sit down with his legs crossed and katana held high in his Indian stance. The gangsters faltered for a moment watching the strange man started chanting whilst lifting his katana up and down.

"Fuck this idiot, kill him!" Yelled one of the men which the boy recognised was the one called Naro.

As they lunged, the swordsman started rapidly spinning on the floor and before the blades could connect, he shrunk and vanished from sight. The gangsters' swords locked into each other and they starred in confusion at what they had witnessed. Awkwardly pulling their blades apart, they were about the look around when the swordsman reappeared in the place his was before, spinning back into existence. Once back he performed a Samurai Cutter, slicing at the legs of the gangsters and quickly transitioning into a Slap U Crazy which knocked the 6 men down for the count. It was over.

In his victory the swordsman swiped his katana in front of his face and held it over his eyes in triumph. The boy meanwhile had crawled over to Ken's body which was surprisingly still alive and breathing in fact they all were. Even the ones slashed by the swordsman's katana, no vital areas had been hit in a way that rather immobilised them rather than neutralising them. The boy didn't care, he wanted the jade necklace now as well, _might as well now that I have the chance,_ he thought, until he heard someone clearing their throat behind him, making him freeze.

"You should not be stealing from him now young one, he is defeated and in pain. To do so would be dishonourable."

With his jaw quivering, he turned to face the warrior who was standing over him; his body under the light was astonishingly demonic. But the boy knew that if this man meant any harm to him, not only would he have done so by now and he also might have let Ken continue his attack. From this actions in the fight to his presence and demeanour, this man screamed the word "honour" and definitely could be trusted. After all, he saved the boy's life and as much he wasn't afraid for long.

"This guy nearly killed me, I see this as fair, no matter what you say."

"And you would rather have that necklace over this?" replied the swordsman holding up the gold and diamond necklace.

"HEY! That's mine mister!" the boy tried to swipe at the swordsman's hand but his hand disappeared in a flash and the katana slowly lowered in the child's direction, now he was scared.

"You can only take one, make your choice."

"…"

"Well?"

"…Fine." Said the boy defeated, leaving the jade necklace alone and slowly rising to his feet. It hurt to stand, in fact it hurt to do just about anything at the moment. His body was covered in bruises more than ever before and his face felt like a car had run over it but despite the beating he took, he didn't feel as bad as he thought he might have. He could be amazed by how resilient he could be at times. It seemed to be the only reason he could stand up to people over his age. The swordsman withdrew his katana and sheathed it and placed to necklace in the boy's hands.

"Why would you go to such trouble for this?"

"Because it's mine."

"I'm sure it is." Said the swordsman with a hint of sarcasm, "But what made you think you could infiltrate the 20 Buster hideout and steal that back?"

"I don't know; I guess I felt like I had no choice. Besides, you did just fine before anyway so it all ended good."

"And what if I had not arrived just in time? I was merely passing through when I caught a glimpse of what was transpiring here. You should count yourself lucky of my intervention."

"I do; thank you mister samurai."

The swordsman chuckled, "I am no samurai young-

"You're a ninja?"

"Hmmm, I guess you could call me that."

"Wow, I've never met a ninja before mister."

"But you've met a Samurai before then?"

"Umm, no… But I think ninjas are cooler anyway, so you're cool then."

"Haha, I'm happy to hear that." A smile flashed across the ninja's face and could be seen under the hannya mask. "Would you like to get out of this place child?"

Looking at the carnage around him, he seemed to have only one option, "Ok then."

The ninja took a knee, held out his free arm and un-sheathed his katana with the other. The boy immediately became reluctant at this sight and the ninja noticed.

"No need to be afraid, trust me. You'll probably enjoy this."

Taking a deep breath, the boy allowed himself to be scooped up in the ninja's arm. Standing up straight, the sword-arm of the ninja began to spin rapidly like the rotor of a helicopter. The boy starred wide-eyed in amazement as they slowly took off, up and out of the broken ceiling and into the night sky. The child had never seen Kagoshima this way before as they slowly soared over a sea of lights; the air was cool and kissed the wounds the boy had making him feel much better than before. His amazement at what has happening had transformed into profound happiness, he had never smiled like this ever before. Above the buildings and towers of the city, the boy felt completely free and unhindered, he felt joy and wonder, he felt alive for the first time in his life. With that joy followed laughter, the ninja took notice, realising the elation the child was feeling at that moment and it warmed his heart at the sight. Then quickly he realised he had no idea where he was supposed to take the child.

"Where do you live?" asked the ninja, snapping the boy out of his trance-like state.

"In the South region of Kagoshima."

"Where- the ninja wanted something a bit more specific but knew that the child wouldn't want to divulge that information to someone he had just met. He changed his tactic. "If I drop you off somewhere safe in the South, do you think you could make it home alright?"

"Yeah I sure, I know the South like the back of my hand." Quipped the boy

"Alright then"

Their night-time adventure would end as the ninja landed at a Buddhist temple some time later. Although the boy thought it sucked that the flying was over, he was ready to finally head back home and later tomorrow store the necklace at his secret stash.

"Have you ever been to this temple young one?" asked the ninja.

"No I have to time for praying."

"You don't pray here, you meditate." The ninja retorted, "Meditation helps to cleanse the soul and strengthen the mind. Both very useful tools to define one's life choices. It would do you a lot of good, I promise."

"I'll think about it when I'm not robbing stuff." Said the boy arrogantly.

The ninja sighed, he too felt like this child at an earlier time in his life, long ago, "You know, I'm kind of like you. With the whole stealing thing you have going. But I don't keep and amass the things I take like you, I give them to the people who need it more. I give back to the poor and needy."

"I don't know what you're trying to prove mister ninja, I'm just as poor and needy as the people you give stolen things to, I simply do it myself because so far in my life, I've never had to rely on others to do things for me, and no one's given me anything apart from cuts and bruises. So I'll keep doing what I'm doing because one day soon it'll be worth the effort."

The child's words struck the ninja deeply, he had never thought the child could be so mature and bold for his age. The boy turned around and started to head off.

"Well goodbye mister ninja, thanks for the lift."

"Wait!"

The boy turned to face him with an annoyed look on his face, "What?" he asked dully

"What is your name?"

The child's eyes fell to the ground, "I don't have one."

"That can't be true." Stated the ninja, "Everyone has a name out there."

"Well I don't have one okay? I don't know where I was born or to whom I was born to. I lived in an orphanage and they gave me a number instead of a name and I'll never tell anyone what that number was for as long as I'm alive."

"Ohh… I see…" Sadness washed over the ninja's face and although his face was masked, his body language told as much. He still wanted to appeal to the child however, "Would you like to know my name at least?"

After a few seconds the boy replied, "Sure, I'll probably forget it but okay."

"My name is Yoshimitsu."

"…"

"That's it."

"Oh."

"What child?"

"It's… a pretty nice name."

"Hmm! I'm glad you think so, it roughly means "Light of Righteousness" and I strive to live by that. Heck even my sword is named Yoshimitsu for the same reason. It is an extension of me and therefore it's as much of me and I am of it."

"Wow"

"Yeah, meanwhile I guess your real name will remain a mystery. A hidden secret. A little himitsu." He chuckled a little.

"A little what?" asked the child.

"A Himitsu, it means secret in Japanese, and obviously it's in my name also. Well I guess that's a himitsu you will have to overcome on your own. I wish you luck little one." With that the ninja waved farewell and once again took off like a helicopter into the night sky. The boy watched him soar over the tall buildings overlooking the small temple and just like that, Yoshimitsu had vanished.

The boy walked down the steps leading away from the temple and set off home all the while thinking to himself, _A secret, a himitsu. My secret stash is a himitsu also and that stash is mine. That secret stash is an extension of me and it's as much a part of me as I am of it. My stash is a himitsu, I am a himitsu. I'm Himitsu. I'm Himitsu._ He liked the word and therefore decided that had would become his name. It suited him and even thought it didn't have a meaning like Yoshimitsu did, it served as a little reminder of the first person to make him happy and give him hope and now, he wouldn't forget his name.


	4. Maternal Bonds

Chapter 4 – Maternal Bonds

The Sun was peeking through the canopies of the forest where they lived; birds chirped happily, little mammals frolicked and insects buzzed with energy in their little utopia. Bounding pass trees and branched was a 6 year old with naturally spiked black hair and bangs hanging over his forehead and he was especially excited for today in particular. Today was the once in a month's time that he and his mother would hike down to the port town of Miyanoura and even though Jin loved living in the forests of Yakushima, he relished the chances he had with communing with other people besides his mother. Racing through the forest, the cottage where they resided finally came into view; it had the look of a traditional Japanese household but was more sturdy than most in such an isolated environment, with the look of the perfect place to live in peace and tranquillity. Inside, Jun Kazama was doing a last minute tidy-up before finding her son and heading off but thankfully, the son part wasn't going to be difficult.

"Mum, let's go!" proclaimed Jin as he skidded inside through the front door.

"Darling the house needs to be tidied up before we can go, especially your room."

"Ahh come on mum, can't we do this another time? We're missing out on the precious seconds we have of heading off already."

"Jin." Said Jun sternly, "You've had plenty of time to do it another time, now if you help me out, we can be out of the house in less than 10 minutes. Otherwise we won't go at all."

"Fine…"

Jin slowly trudged into his room and processed to clean up. Although his mother's carefree and kind-hearted nature made her incapable of being cruel, Jin was still scolded by his mother if he didn't follow her instructions properly. A few minutes past and Jin's room was satisfactory, he then went back to the main room and helped clean up anything else alongside his mum. Before long they were finished and grabbed their backpacks and set off.

They were pretty well inland on Yakushima so the hike would take over an hour at best if they kept moving but Jun had the habit of stopping off at multiple parts of the forest and basking in the nature that surrounded her, much to Jin's annoyance. All the fauna of the forest seemed instinctively attracted to the presence of Jun wherever she walked. Woodland critters would stop their scampering and admire her as she walked by, birds would chirp in her direction as some would even go so far as to land on her outstretched fingers when she beckoned them to approach, other mammals would race around her feet, vying for her attention. Jin on the other hand would rarely ever experience the same connection to the animals of the forests like his mother did and would occasionally asked her if there was something wrong with him.

"These things take time my darling," Jun said softly, "The creatures of the forest just need time to grow better accustomed to your presence, it was the same for me too when I was your age."

Deep down Jun would instead ponder as to whether it was because of the blood of Jin's father coursing through her son's veins. Jin's father was Kazuya Mishima and the last she had heard of him, Kazuya had been thrown into an active volcano by none other than his own father, Heihachi Mishima. The Mishima clan were notoriously powerful and cruel to one another, it was a family she thought she'd never become a part of but that changed when she first met Kazuya. They both had somehow, mysteriously grew attached to one another during the 2nd King of Iron First Tournament, hosted by Kazuya himself. It was during the Tournament that they bonded, becoming lovers at one time, but that abruptly ended when Jun lost in the Tournament to Heihachi, who was focused in his plan to take the Mishima Zaibatsu back from his son after losing it to him in the Inaugural Tournament. Jun left before the tournament's end, not discovered the fate of Kazuya til sometime after and by that point, she had found out that she was with child. Nevertheless, she gave birth to Jin and decided to raise him in the forests of Yakushima, away from his grandfather who Jun feared may do something similar to Jin one day.

Finally, mother and son would arrive at Miyanoura, the port town of Yakushima. It wasn't a huge town but it was where the boat docks were so a lot of supplies from mainland Japan could be found here, thus making Miyanoura serve as Yakushima's trading hub. Jin loved the sights of the market here with many stores filled with fish from the ocean, gadgets, trinkets, other meat produce as well as clothing. Jin sprawled through heaps of clothes, much to Jun's initial indication to calm down, and found a buttoned t-shirt with flames on it. Jin had a love for clothes with flames and held it in-front of his mother's face.

"Mum, mum! Please can you get this for me?" cried Jin with excitement.

"Umm, we'll see, we'll see, but first you should put all those other clothes you tossed aside back neatly." Said Jun, pointed to the jumbled pile of clothes Jin had created. Behind that pile was a clearly disgruntled clerk, in charge of the clothes.

"Okay…"

Jin knew he had been a bit too aggressive back there and went to fold all the clothes he pulled through neatly in place. Jun flashed him an appreciative smile and paid the clerk for the shirt whilst picking out a few garments from herself. They continued along, buying a few more items from the market then Jun let her son play at a small park with the other kids there, a few of them taking kindly to Jin. Jun had time to sit down and relax for a while now; she sat down on a bench at the park with a clear view of Jin, making sure he didn't wander off. Another mother sat down next to her doing the same thing.

"Your son seems to have unlimited energy." Chuckled the mother to Jun who turned to face her.

"Oh, I guess he does, it's a miracle I can keep up sometimes."

"Hmm, my daughter seems to think the same."

Looking back, Jun saw her son running circles around a girl about the same age who looked like she was getting dizzy from how fast Jin was moving. _He's definitely got his father's ability._ She thought to herself.

"I'm sure his father is proud of him." The mother said.

"Yeah, I guess he would have been." Replied Jun timidly. Deep down she felt like that would be a lie, Kazuya hated his father, especially for the curse that had been befallen unto him. A curse that stained the Mishima bloodline and one that Jun had once witnessed with her own eyes. The curse was a gene mutation that was caught in the Mishima family for an unknown length of time, it caused the host to have a sort of split personality that at times could build-up and take over, changing the body both physically and mentally. This personality was pure evil and was referred to unsurprisingly as The Devil and inspired the name of the mutation, The Devil Gene. This Gene seemed to pass down the family genetically, although no one really knew how far back it could be traced or let alone if it was at all. Jun had seen it firsthand from Kazuya himself, when the Devil was starting to build total control over Kazuya during the second King of Iron Fist Tournament but it was through the help of Jun herself and the dwindling good nature of Kazuya which was known as Angel that Kazuya continued to fight for control over the Devil. Jun was able to reach through to Kazuya better than Angel ever could and this formed the bond between the two. Jun was able to find out that Kazuya at that time hated his heritage, especially his own father. Nothing would please him more than to see his entire bloodline wiped out, leaving no trace of their existence on the world and having the Devil leave with them also. It was only because of the inner struggle with control over the Devil that caused Kazuya to lose to his father and lead to his demise, still Jun knew that the prospect of fathering a child would feel blasphemous to Kazuya, he could never truly be a father to Jin.

The mother meanwhile had caught wind of what Jun meant when she said he WOULD have been and decided to lighten it up, "Oh. Well, it's nothing short of a miracle to how well you've raised him, I'm sure he'll grow up a great man in your eyes no matter what."

"I believe so too." Said Jun in a polite manner, afterward deciding to keep the conversation briefer.

Soon after Jun and Jin would leave the park and wander into town and find somewhere to eat, Jun opted for a small restaurant and both she and Jin would enjoy some noodles. Jin while eating, had his attention on a man with his two sons sitting together. They looked happy together and even more so when the mother came over to sit with them after ordering for them. He paid close attention to the boys seated together, one a bit older than the other, Jin could see the connection they had with one another, making him feel light in the stomach, he turned back to his mother who was eyeing him.

"Mum?"

"Yes dear?"

"I know you've told me that I don't have a dad anymore, but will I ever have a brother?"

"…" Jun's face was like stone, she felt a mixture of emotions in the matter of a second. Grief, remorse, regret; she knew Jin had a thing about not having a father but he also wanted a sibling?

"Mum?"

"…I don't know, darling. For you to have a brother it would be the same way I had you. And I don't know if that's ever going to happen again."

"Oh, okay."

"Why would you ask that for dear? Do you really want a brother?"

"Yeah, I think I could make a good brother, we'd be great friends."

 _Then hopefully not like Lee and Kazuya then,_ she thought to herself, "Jin honey, a brother or a sister for that matter is a huge part of your life. They can at times be your greatest friend or your worst enemy but they will share a bond with you unlike anything, much more than the bond you and I share. I'm not so sure I'll ever have a child again Jin but I want you to understand that you don't need to have a brother to be happy like that family over there. I can just tell you're going to have a great future ahead of you, and as long as you remember everything I've taught you, you will do just fine."

"Ok then mum." Said Jin, he felt like his mother was holding back on what she was talking to him about but he was satisfied with what she said anyway.

With time getting on, they would leave the little restaurant and begin their hike back home and would arrive at dusk. After putting the stuff they had bought away, they would have a light supper of rice and fish and afterwards lounge by the fireplace with Jin reading up on some comprehension book Jun had bought him and Jun reading a novel. Later on Jun would walk a sleepy Jin to his room and tuck him into bed, giving him a kiss for goodnight. She would then leave the cottage and walk into a small clearing on the forest with level ground; here she would brush up on her Kazama-style karate, performing several katas under the moonlight, sweat glistening off her body as she performed her technique with swift efficiency. She had never forgotten her training as a young girl before joining the WWWC and it had at many times in her life proved invaluable. Once finished and exhausted, she left the clearing and made her way to a spring where she and Jin would come to bathe; stripping nude, she lowered herself into the cool waters, helping sooth her tired joints and muscles. Lost in deep thought, her mind trailed back to one of the last times she had been with Kazuya, one of the only happy memories they shared between each other.

 _Jun walked through the corridors of the Zaibatsu on the way to its main office; it was during the 2_ _nd_ _tournament and she was due to fight tomorrow against Wang Jinrei, a friend to the Mishima family and an aged but highly experienced fighter. Right now tomorrow's fight was the least of her concerns as she quietly moved through the tower, her focus was on the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, the man she and her partner Lei Wulong were supposed to be arresting. This was not why she was here however; after their frequent run-ins with one another, Jun had noticed a little, more approachable side to Kazuya and he seemed to show it whenever she was near him. She wished to appeal to this gentler side of the leader of the Tekken Tournament and plead with him to stop the illegal activities he had been spearheading since taking control of the Zaibatsu. As she approached the main office, she could hear an intense argument on the other side of the door._

" _ **You've grow weak in her sight fool!"**_

" _She's got nothing to do with this, I am still the man I always have been. And I will not let anyone stop me from eradicating all my enemies, I promise you."_

" _ **Then let me take over, you have been battling for control for too long that you've lost sight of the ultimate goal."**_

" _Never! You have no right to take control over me, this is my plan, not yours!"_

" _ **Your plan? You think you came up with the kidnappings, extortions and smuggling of rare wildlife on your own? I planted those ideas in your head, I pointed you in the right direction with what influence I could muster. However, I will admit that exterminating all your extended family was entirely your idea, a foolish idea at that."**_

" _Foolish? Ha! I've been on to your plans myself for a while now, I will not let you corrupt the minds of other Mishimas no matter how far they may be, and if I can't kill you off, I'll kill off the cattle you so desperately want. I will remain the last of the Mishima, once this tournament ends and my father lays dead at my feet. Then once my life is over, I'll drag you down to hell with me!"_

" _ **Hahahahahahaaa…. You dumb fool, you truly think you can bring a genocide onto your own blood to stop me? There are still many things you don't know about me yet my dear Kazuya."**_

" _SHUT UP! Leave me in piece, I don't need you watching my every action, BEGONE!"_

 _Jun could hear one of the voices as Kazuya and as for the other, it sounded a little like Kazuya and yet sounded much more sinister. She slowly opened the door and looked inside. Behind a large, black deck was the hulking figure of Kazuya Mishima, heavily breathing into his hands. His body heaved with each breath and the purple suit jacket he wore looked like it was going to tear itself apart any second. Apart from Kazuya, there was no one else in the room until Jun had stepped in; she hoped to see the man Kazuya was arguing with but no one was here apart from the two of them. Kazuya had not realised Jun was in the room and continued talking._

" _The only person that will dictate what I do with my life and how I do it is me! I am in control of my actions and I gladly welcome the consequences because you hold no power over me and you have nothing to threaten me with! You don't hold anything over me! YOU WORK FOR ME! I make the decisions, not you, you're nothing but a pest! A nuisance! I will show you, I'll show them all I-…Jun?"_

 _In his tirade, Kazuya had looked towards the office door and caught the sight of the young woman standing there, Jun could see a mixture of anger and fear in his eyes and as if by instinct, she started to approach the desk, wanting to help in any way._

" _Jun? Jun, y-you shouldn't be here right now."_

" _Kazuya, who were you talking to, what's wrong?" her asked, still approaching._

" _Jun," Kazuya's voice was starting to waver, "You need to leave, this is no time to-"_

 _Kazuya's eyes flashed a dull red as he quickly hid face in his hands. Jun still approached._

" _Kazuya, let me help you, I know something's not right." She reached her hand out towards his face._

" _NO! STOP THAT, don't, just don't come any closer, for your own good."_

" _I'm not leaving Kazuya, I can't."_

" _What the hell is wrong with you?! Can't you see tha… that… you..._ _ **you."**_

 _Jun felt herself freeze as the other voice showed himself._

" _ **You… little bitch!"**_

 _The voice wasn't coming from anyway in the room except from Kazuya, that voice was Kazuya. Calmly his hands dropped from his face and Jun looked in horror as a third eye opened up and blinked in the middle of Kazuya's forehead, his skin start going a shade of purple kind of like his suit and speaking of the suit, the seams were tearing apart, exposing more of Kazuya's purple skin. His muscles start bulging and something started sticking out of his back. Sure enough the entire top half of his clothes split apart as two bat-like wings sprouted, stretching out menacingly. The gash across his chest glowed a dull red, the same as his original eyes, and above those, two horns grew out on top of his head. The Devil had taken over._

 _Jun looked on in absolute shock, fear gripped at her body as she looked in horror at the man who was just a moment ago Kazuya Mishima. His eyes now fixed squarely on hers._

" _ **How dare you even try to mess with my hold over Kazuya, he is mine! MINE! No one will have him, especially you!"**_

 _Her legs finally taking note of the situation, Jun spun around and rushed for the door, only for the devil to swiftly soar out from behind the desk and land between Jun and the door._

" _ **Hahaha, you're not going anyway bitch. Kazuya is going to love what I do to the place with your entrails, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**_

 _The Devil then lunged, claws out, and grabbed Jun beneath both of her shoulders, the force brought them both all the way back to the black desk with Jun pinned down on top. As much as she tried to fight free, the Devil was simply at a power beyond what she could take. The best Jun could do was position her hands across the Devil's chest, desperately trying to hold him back. The Devil, as if toying with Jun, started lowering his head towards hers, snickering all the while and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't halter his approach. Then the third eye started lighting up as purple electricity started flickering around Jun's face and the Devil's snickering turn into a hearty laugh and his eyes widened with excitement for what was about to happen. Jun in an uncomfortable position, managed to move one of her hands up to the Devil's face and pressed up on it in a final attempt to shove him off. From her hand, a bright light emitted onto the Devil's face, his bone chilling laughter immediately vanished and was replaced with a scream of pure agony._

" _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGHHHH!"**_

 _The Devil sharply recoiled with no idea what had caused this, Jun was just as confused, looking down upon her hands in bewilderment. Then their eyes locked once more; the Devil done toying with his prey raised a clawed hand with the intent of striking her down, Jun simply had a solution to defeating this being. As the Devil's claw came down, Jun rushed up to the him and grasped both hands tightly across his head, covering all three of his eyes. The Devil's attack was stopped as the searing pain of the light continued._

" _ **NOOOOOOOOOOOO! LET GO OF ME! AAAAARGHHHHHHH! NGGGG! NOOOOOOOOO! ENOUGH! PLEASE! FUCKING STOP! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_

 _Jun continued as the Devil's finally scream gurgled away, Jun noticed that his skin was starting to go back to normal, his wings and horns were receding and the claws on his hands vanishing. Tears stung Jun's face from the ordeal, her upper arms were their own shade of purple and her breathing raspy. Finally, the Kazuya she longed to see before her was back, the Devil tucked back away inside of his mind, defeated. Slowly, her hands would release their hold on Kazuya and his eyes flickered open._

" _What the? Jun? Jun, what just happened?"_

 _Jun couldn't say a word, instead, to hid her gushing tears, her threw her arms over Kazuya and embraced him in a deep hug, burying her face in his shoulder and quietly sobbing. Kazuya was beyond taken back by his, he almost didn't know what to say now himself. As for Jun, she finally understood Kazuya for what he really was, if it wasn't the inner argument with his demon or the fear of her impending doom in such close proximity to him, the true face of the evil in Kazuya had shown the inner turmoil that his man was facing. He was in a constant battle with the evil in him and what little good he had left. Jun finally understood the decisions that Kazuya had made for the first time and wasn't upset with him, instead she felt sorry for him._

" _Jun," began Kazuya, "I don't know what happened or how you're still here, but believe me when I say this; you are not safe around me. This… thing inside me, although I control it, it can still harm you. You need to stay as far away from me as possible okay?"_

" _No Kazuya, I want to help you, help you defeat this evil in you." Answered Jun while looking into Kazuya's eyes, tears still present, "Believe ME when I say this, I can finally see the goodness in you that's been hiding for so long and I want to do whatever I can to help that goodness shine through and take over this evil, the evil that people like your father put in you. After what just happened, I know I can help you, and only I can."_

" _Dammit, are you crazy? This isn't something you can fight Jun! The Devil will have nothing short of what it wants, if not through me then someone else will do it's bidding and I'll be tossed aside like I'm nothing."_

" _One moment you say you're in control and then the next you say it'll always get what it wants. Kazuya, you cannot face this alone and try to deal it your way. The whole world will suffer, especially you!" She cupped a hand around his cheek, "You no longer have to suffer and face this alone, I'm with you."_

 _Lifting her face up, she kissed him on the other cheek as her own gushed pink. She didn't kiss him because she thought it would help him relax, nor did she think he needed it. She kissed him because she wanted to. From that point, Kazuya looked at her much differently than before, now he wanted her but not because of the kiss. For the first time, he had come face to face with someone who not only couldn't physically do what he wanted, but she was someone who he felt was the only person who could convince him against doing whatever he wanted himself. It drove him mad with longing._

 _He starred amorously into her eyes saying, "You should be afraid."_

 _Just as amorously she responded, "I'm not. I'm not afraid."_

" _I know." He conceded, pressing his lips to hers._

 _Once again Jun put her arms around Kazuya's neck, meeting his lips with the same lustful intensity of her own. Their lust for the other made everything around them vanish; for Kazuya, it was her fearlessness and mystery, for Jun, it was his pain and thirst to change the world for the better. She looked into his eyes and saw a man who knew exactly how fucked up the world was and was ready to put everything on the line to change it. His anger and bitterness towards his family was nothing compared to this desire for change and it attracted Jun to him from the moment they saw one another. Kazuya lifted Jun up off the floor and rested her on the black desk once more, kind of like how Devil did, yet this time Jun wasn't going to stop anything from happening. His hand felt every part of her body as she pulled him closer, wanting his chest to smother hers, locking her legs around his waist. She could feel his groin become stiff from the contact and she started panting in response, causing Kazuya to lower himself while kissing their neck then her navel. He fumbled at his pants and then with her own, hastily removing them from the equation and then popping open her vest, exposing her breasts. Moving back up to meet her eyes, he cupped her face in his hands and looked at her for a few moments, taking all her form in all the while his penis held position just outside her flower. Then with purpose, he locked lips with her again as he thrust himself deep between her legs, Jun moaning into his mouth as he did so._

"SQUAWWWK!"

Jun jumped at the sound, looking around in confusion, she was back at the spring, in the forests of Yakushima. Lost in her thoughts, she seemed to have drifted off to sleep for a bit and had one hand cupping her breasts and the other between her legs. Realising her obscenity, her quickly pulled her hands away and shook her head as if telling herself no. This was very unlike her at this time and she felt quite embarrassed for losing herself to the memory of her one intimate moment with Kazuya. The moment that gave her Jin, and also the moment that the good nature of Kazuya would manifest from Jun's influence and create Angel. Jun had a lot to be thankful for and yet at the same time, a lot to feel sorry for; it was Angel and had an inner battle with the Devil during Kazuya's battle of Heihachi which caused his ultimate defeat at the hands of this father. Walking back to the cottage with her clothes wrapping her like towels she reminded herself and despite these setbacks, despite not being able to be with the man she loved, she would do right by Jin and have him grow up different than his father. Not because she felt like it was the right thing to do, because she wanted to.

* * *

(Another chapter done, I originally thought that this one would be hard to do as I wasn't talking about Himitsu in this one and trying to expand the original canon in this. Towards the end I became more comfortable in my approach to it. In relation to the little love part at the end I felt it suited the story better if that dream ended abruptly. And don't worry, the Lemons had happen in real time will most likely not be cut-off in the same manner. No promises though haha. Finally, I wanted to say to anyone wondering about the pacing of the story, this will be a long one and I don't imagine I'll be getting to Tekken 3 until maybe chapter 10. This is so I can build all the eventual relationships up properly but I swear that it'll all be worth it. Thanks for reading!)


	5. Unclear Purpose

(Just wanted to quickly ask how anyone has been enjoying this so far, I want to know how the pacing of the story feels to people, looking at the stats for the views of the chapters, it seems like Chapter 2 may have been confusing to people. I want this to be very extensive into the life of Himitsu, as the story is mainly about him in the Tekken Universe so I need to expand a lot on his character as an OC, other characters obviously will be getting similar treatment like Jin and Jun are, but we know about them already. Their influence in the story are where it matters, anyway with that out of the way, I humbly welcome any reviews, I want to know what you guys think! Enjoy!)

Chapter 5 – Unclear Purpose

Pitch-black, in a forgotten level of a building complex, far below ground level, a pocket of room rests in the darkness. Its contents unknown to anyone, apart from one person. Noises are heard from the outside as the rocky slabs hiding its whereabouts are pulled away, allowing patches of light to shine through, hitting the beautiful and treasured items in this space. The final large slab is removed and Himitsu bobs his head in to inspect his hoard and make sure everything to his knowledge was accounted for. Satisfied, his head backs away has it is replaced by hands holding other items he has "collected"; a gold pocket watch, a wad of yen, silver cutlery, fine china laced with gold linings and a small antique model of a 12th century Junk. Slowly the slabs would carefully be returned to their original positions in front of the hole to this catalogue and once again, darkness would consume it fully.

 _I could be out of room in a year's time if I keep this up,_ Himitsu thought to himself, smirking.

Leaving the underground and out of the building through a back alley entrance, Himitsu made his way to a Buddhist temple several streets away. It was the same temple that the ninja swordsman Yoshimitsu had left him at after he saved him from the 20 Buster hangout just under a year ago. Since then, Himitsu had gradually come back to that temple from time to time and had increased his duration of visits. He ended up enjoying the serene environment of the place and had come to enjoy his mediations along with the other monks who overtime accepted him and acknowledged Himitsu's presence whenever he came over. Also Himitsu had started helping the monks keep the place clean and did these chores for no pay apart from the occasional leek soup that they made. He never had a thought of stealing from the place either, but the real reason he kept coming back was in the hopes that he'd see the ninja again, although he never did and the monks had no idea of the man Himitsu often spoke of.

Skipping up the steps, young Himitsu was greeted by Obo, one of the monks the boy knew.

"Namaste Himitsu, it's nice to see you."

"Hello Sa Obo."

"You're cutting it late today, mediation period will be beginning now and you haven't greeted Sensai yet."

"Yeah I know, I got held up."

"Impatient one, how could you possibly be held up on such a day as this? You want to remain a part of this temple don't you."

"I know, I know Sa, I'm truly sorry. I'll try my best not to let it happen again."

Once entering the temple both went quiet, Obo was only in his early 20s so he still had a sense of youth about him, despite how he looked in his robes. Himitsu didn't have any robes of his own but opted to wear a stripped red and orange single, over it an unbuttoned shirt that was a little too big for him and a pair of gray shorts. The monks never took to Himitsu's clothing choice to heart; they were here for enlightenment, not to scold someone's fashion sense. In the temple, the monks were already gathered and ready for the mediation period. In front, facing them was Sensei Nikibo, waiting for all participants to take their respective places. He glanced up at Himitsu for a brief moment in the style of a formal greeting but when Himitsu tried to acknowledge him, the Sensei bowed his head back down to signify that mediation time was now.

Sitting down and crossing his legs, Himitsu closed his eyes and went into deep thought, listening to nothing but the slow and steady tempo of his own breath flowing in and out of his nose. His let his mind wander and thought back to that night his first met Yoshimitsu and the night-time flight over the city. He remembered how happy he left in that moment, high above the city and even thought about the fact that not once while in the air did he not trust the ninja in the slightest. No matter where Yoshimitsu would have taken him, he trusted the man as he saw infinite goodness inside him, even behind that mask. His mind started wandering away from that night and further back, to the time he had escaped from the orphanage all by himself. He remembered standing in front of a door leading out of the building with a ward blocking his path, Himitsu knew at that point he would have to fight with all his being to get through and out to freedom. He didn't have the taser at this point but had the sharpened butter knife hidden up his hand, facing away from the ward blocking him. Everything at that point happened on instinct has Himitsu felt his actions being directed from a higher power; making a move to go around the ward, he was subsequently scooped up and bear hugged by the adult. Using this seemingly moment of defeat to his advantage, he brandished the knife and stabbed the ward right in their exposed neck. After a gut wrenching scream, the ward's hold over the boy loosened as they both dropped to the floor. It was the first and only time Himitsu had killed someone. Still it was a hugely important part of Himitsu's life that helped define the type of person he thought himself to be. Finally, his mind wandered even further backward, to the dream he had been having on a recurring basis. Fire and death engulfed him again once more, the faceless people over him, the illegible words and sounds, the cloak of blackness that took over and the evil laughter followed by the thick haze of purple, suffocating him in the darkness. Feeling himself starting to lose concentration over these mental images, Himitsu started repeating a mantra taught to him by the Sensei in his head so his mind could relax once more, soon the haunting images were gone and the young boy now had time to reflect on these memories once more. The memory of Yoshimitsu gave him a feel of hope; that despite there being a world full of cruel and untrustworthy people, there were some out there that had the capacity to show infinite kindness to anyone, no matter who they were as a person themselves. The memory of escaping the orphanage was the time that Himitsu subconsciously grew up and understood how the world worked, it served as a reminder that life was finite and his future was his own to take. And the memory of his supposed time in infancy reminded him that there was much he still did not know about himself, who he was, what he might have been, a representation of the mysteries of the world that he could choose to seek out, or leave in the shadows.

After an hour, Sensei Nikibo would raise his head from his meditation, turn his body to the side and tap the singing bowl, signalling the end of meditation. Everyone including Himitsu would break from their mono-state, stand and take their leave to different areas of the temple.

Himitsu would later be found in one of the temples dorms, tidying up and re-lighting candles. It was uncanny to him on how quickly he took to liking meditation, he enjoyed how relaxed and fulfilled it made him feel and had pondered over the idea of giving up on his pickpocketing antics as a street brat and instead live and work here more permanently. The monk Obo would enter the room calling out to Himitsu.

"Himitsu, the Sensei would like to speak with you."

"Uh? What about?"

"I'm not sure, you'll just have to go and find out."

Leaving what he was doing, Himitsu would follow Obo out to the back of the temple to a veranda overlooking a small Zen garden, in the veranda, seated at a small table with tea was the Sensei. He wore a traditional Buddhist robe called a Igiboso Jodo and wore on his head a Kasa, which had a metal frame, making it much heavier than it looked. Himitsu had asked the Sensei once why he wore such a hat in his old age and not simply opt for a plain straw one to which he replied, _Pleasure is the seed of pain, pain is the seed of pleasure._ He was one well versed in the teaching of the multiple schools of the Buddha and everyone who knew him, respected his words of wisdom. Seeing the two arrive he beckoned Himitsu to sit opposite him, poured some tea for the young boy and invited him to take a sip. Himitsu did so in a quick fashion as to not burn his tongue, the Sensei flashed a tiny smile at the sight.

"Sensei," greeted Himitsu, "What is it you want?"

The old man spoke softly and slowly. "Child, how are you?"

"Umm, I'm good… just good." Was his reply.

"That is good, have to been performing your chores properly?"

"Yes Sensei, I would not to anything less than what is asked here."

The boy looked under the Kasa to better read the Sensei's face, he was almost stalling him with his small talk.

"Sensei, is there something you want from me?"

"Well, no child. Your hidden desires are of no concern to me."

 _Weird choice of words,_ Himitsu thought.

"But I have been in deep meditation over the coming future and my thoughts have been circulating over yours."

"My thoughts Sensei?"

"Your future."

"What about my future?"

"Your future is not here."

"…what?"

"As of today."

"What? What are you talking about Sensei?"

"I have been looking into your purpose, and it is not here, after today."

"…"

"You have a great journey ahead of you."

"…"

"After today you will no longer be here."

"Sensei?"

"In fact even after this conversation you will be leaving."

"Sensei!"

"An important part in the journey to enlightenment will begin."

"SENSEI!"

"No meet to shout child, my ears work just fine."

"But Sensei, why are you telling me to leave?"

"I'm not, this isn't my decision, it is fate."

"But Sensei, why must I go?"

"Because right now your place is not here-"

"Why the hell not?!"

"Listen to me child," said the Sensei, still as calm as before, "I have seen your memories for myself, you are at a crossroad as to which path is certain and you are afraid to take any choice. I have looked into your spirit and I see a dark pact of evil that cannot be defeated here. After today, life will take course and point you in the right direction, to the direction of the one you need the most. Remember, nothing will grow if the seed is not yet sown. And so I have taken the liberty of sowing the seed in your stead, it is now your responsibility to go to it and nurture it."

There were many things that Himitsu still did not understand behind the Sensei's words, but he had been here long enough to see the incredible insight he had into the world around him and there had never been a time, not rarely, NEVER been a time where he was wrong in his insight. If the Sensei had looked into your spirit, he had. No questions. Still the young boy could not shake the distaste out of his mouth had what he was being told to do. To never come back to the temple? He loved it here, never had anything brought comfort to his tough up-bringing and now he was being told to forgo this comfort and leave. The Sensei would continue.

"When the important time comes little Himitsu, you must take the leap of faith, that leap will propel you to the enlightenment you seek and will be a powerful combatant to the darkness within you. I would do everything to help you, but your enlightenment cannot to found here. I'm sorry child, but I can't be wrong in these things; The Wind of Impermanency does not choose a time."

"Ok, Sensei." Was all Himitsu could utter.

The old man slowly nodded, seeing his word getting through to the child. He looked to Obo a notion that it was Himitsu time to go now. Obo nodded and walked beside the boy, offering him his hand. Gradually the boy would find the strength to stand and grasped onto the Monk's hand. As he started to leave, Himitsu turned back one more time to the Sensei with a final question.

"Will I ever come back here?"

The Sensei looked up from his Kasa, showing his wrinkled face. "To not know is to be a Buddha, to not see is Paradise. Remember, when the leap of faith called, take it."

With that, Himitsu left without a word, when at the entrance to the temple he didn't even acknowledge Obo's farewell as he walked down the steps and onto the streets of Kagoshima, with only a blank stare on his face, once again left alone in his uncertainty.


	6. Angel of The Forest

Chapter 6 – Angel of the Forest

 _Fuck it. Fuck it all._

Himitsu didn't say the words out loud, but he knew what they meant even though he was only the age of 8. He slowly made his way back to the tiny metal shack he called home, absolutely devoid of happiness and purpose. Without the temple, Himitsu felt lost; it was no longer about seeing the ninja again, he had grown towards the monks there who didn't look at him as a street brat. There he felt accepted and wanted, but in one single swoop he was cast out like rubbish and he felt so dirty and rejected by it all. All he could muster as words of defiance was simply the phrase _Fuck it,_ but that alone wouldn't ease his pain. He needed something to take his mind off all this.

Walking through the streets he looked slightly up off the ground and he eyed someone walking in the opposite direction towards him, but he wasn't looking at the person's face; his thrifting eyes caught the sight of a thick wallet, loosely hanging in the pocket of a young man's jeans. The pickpocketeer in him let out a little smirk as he came up alongside his mark. With nature skill he lightly brushed alongside him and in a lighting quick motion he extended the opening of the pocket and lifted the wallet all with one hand. With a light chuckle in this personal victory he continued on inconspicuously, opened the wallet, pulled out the 5,000 yen inside and tossed the wallet to the gutter.

"HEY! WHAT THE FUCK?" came a loud voice some way behind him.

Himitsu made an obligatory turn along with the rest of the pedestrians, blending into the crowd as he feigned confusion at the voice. He made to turn back as you would and continue on but the sight of the mark froze him to the spot. Orange hair. Tattoo all along the left arm. Jade piece necklace. It just couldn't be; of all the people he had decided to lift from today, in all the busy streets of Kagoshima city, it had to be him. Himitsu's eyed stared in fear straight at the 20 Buster gang member, Ken, and Ken looked straight back at the boy with an equal amount of disbelief in his face. This look faded as it was quickly replaced by the look of boiling anger, his nostrils flared, fists clenched tightly and breathing thick. Two other people alongside him looked at Himitsu also and they too were recognised by the boy as Naro and Woozy.

"You...little shit," snarled the orange haired gangster, "You are fucking dead. FUCKING DEAD!"

Ken exploded off his mark and accelerated towards Himitsu, and Himitsu just as quickly turned face and bolted for it with the three men in pursuit. They teared through the city, Himitsu using his size to weave through other pedestrians, negating the trio's notable advantage in speed. As the group gained ground and were about to pounce, Himitsu broke his direction and ran through a marketplace, bounding over food stalls and onlookers. Ken and his boys rampaged from behind, opted to smash through any obstacles causing food and people to fly aside as they gave chase. The boy had changed direction again and run through an adjacent building and for a moment it looked like he had lost his pursuers but suddenly Naro appeared in front of him with his arm swinging, hoping to collect his head along with it. Just in time, Himitsu ducked and landed a running punch at Naro's groin, causing the tall man to squeal in a high pitch. The boy flew through an open exit and turned to come face to face with the other gangster Woozy, who grabbed at the rolled up sleeves of Himitsu's unbuttoned shirt.

"Ha! Gotcha meinu!" he tugged the boy closer to him, attempting to crush him in his arms.

Himitsu tugged back in the other direction and in a miracle, the shirt gave way, ripping at both sleeves completely, sending Woozy crashing onto his ass. Ken and Naro would exit the building with Naro grabbing at his nutsack, still in apparent pain and Ken grabbing air as he just missed Himitsu as he darted off again. Himitsu would run down to the docks hoping he'd lost them here, but looking over his shoulder he saw Ken and his boys still at his heels. Despite energy already spent, Himitsu ran on in pure desperation hoping to find some way to outrun these clowns. The three young men however found this spot as the perfect place to trap their prey. The sound of a blowhorn blew close up as Himitsu continued on, taking a peak over his shoulder to see only Ken behind him, still shouting vulgarity at the boy. Turning back, he caught sight of Naro to his right, attempting to cut him off, causing the boy to duck left. Further down Woozy appeared on the left, doing the same, causing Himitsu to veer right. Before he could realise it, he had been trapped on the pier with the three gangsters coming to a stop behind him in an early victory.

"It's all over dickhead," said Ken, "Nowhere for you to fuck off now!"

A horn blared in everyone ears, turning their attention to the boat leaving alongside the pier. With that Himitsu found his only way out, he darted off in its direction with the men trudging on behind. Before they could realise his plan, Himitsu launched himself onto some industrial crates on the edge of the pier and ran on top of them. Ken picked up his pace, hoping to not let to boy escape and jumped onto the crates also with the other two still on the ground, following their movements. Himitsu was just at the edge of it all as he caught the sight of a manhole on the ship that looked too far out of reach. Suddenly Himitsu in his moment of uncertainty heard a tiny voice in his head.

 _Take a Leap of Faith._

With that, he dug deep and sprinted onwards and used his momentum to take the final jump off the crate and towards the manhole. Time seemed slow as Himitsu flew off the crate and hung in mid-air. Arms out, stretching entirely, he soared towards the ship and grasped onto the manhole with both hands. Himitsu looked back seeing a clearly pissed off Ken come to a halt at the place Himitsu jumped and Naro and Woozy staring dumbfounded down below. Steadily he worked his way up into the manhole and with one foot in, he turned towards the three and threw up the finger in rebellious bliss and crawled inside. More boxes could be seen inside the boat as well as a few sailors walking alongside and inspecting the cargo. Not wanting to be seen, Himitsu slinked away into a dark corner of the ship and rested there. Letting the rocking of the ship try to settle his nerves, after a minute Himitsu found out the opposite had happened as he immediately felt the urge to throw-up. Wobbling back to the manhole, he stuck his head out and vomited, this could be a long boat ride.

"I don't think he's coming back." Said Woozy.

"Well of course he fucking is!" screamed Ken, "I had the brat cornered, what the fuck?"

"Fucking relax Ken," said Naro, still feeling his balls for any damage, "This has been a waste of time, I'm tired and my balls are hurting. Let's just go."

"You wouldn't be saying that if your wallet was stolen!" yelled Ken, "Are you just going to let your balls whimper while you bitch about this being a waste of time?"

"Look you asshole, he's on a fucking boat. What can we possibly do?"

"Simple, we find out where the boat is going, get a boat ourselves and go after the prick."

"And what if the place is too far away? He might even be long gone by the time we find out the destination."

"I don't think so," Woozy chimed in, looking at a shipping schedule on a board. The other two walked over to what Woozy was pointing at, they now knew the destination.

After what seemed like 4 hours, the ship had made it to land, Himitsu would once again for the 5th time throw up outside the manhole and look at the island they were approaching. It was a full luscious green with mountains covering the entire inland, Himitsu wasn't used to seeing such greenery that it took him back a little.

 _As long as I don't throw up again,_ he thought to himself as the ship edged closer and closer.

With the ship pulled up in the docks, Himitsu would silently make his way off the boat, using the mooring lines to get down unnoticed. The young boy then proceeded to walk through into the town to get a bearing on his current location. He came up to a sign reading, "Miyanoura, Yakushima, Kumage District."

"Yakushima? Oh great, how am I supposed to get home then?"

Walking back to the docks he eyed a private boat loading up on produce, he walked up to the person who seemed in charge and tugged at his shirt to get his attention.

"Eh? What, who's this?"

"Excuse me Sa, are you heading to Kagoshima?"

"Hmm, I might be, what's it to you?"

"I need passage back to the mainland."

"Hahaha, I can't just let anyone on my ship, this is a prized vessel in these parts. No, I cannot allow that."

"Please mister, I'm from the mainland and I got stuck here by accident, I'm so scared." Himitsu tried to force tears out of his eyes, only getting them so far as to water up a little. The boatman wasn't interested.

"Sorry there matey, only paying customers can hope to get a spot on this famous voyager of the seas. I'm gonna need somewhere around 10,000 yen bud."

10,000? Umm that I got is 5,000 y-" Himitsu meekly replied holding out the wad of money he still had.

The boatman swiped it cleanly out of Himitsu's hand and quickly counted, "This will do nicely, I'll take it was a discount so nobody asks questions. You just wait over there by the pier and in over an hour's time, once the boat's all loaded up, I'll call out for people to board." The boatman then turned about face and got back to his duties.

 _What a jerk,_ Himitsu thought to himself, _10,000 is too high a figure for transportation, he just said that so I could fork out all I had left to make up for it, he'd have accepted 1,000 if it was all I had!_

Himitsu sat down on the edge of the pier and started to wait, his stomach grumbled, he hadn't eaten in a while, especially with the previous boat ride ruining his lunch. But he knew that he couldn't leave his post as the boat might become ready at any moment and he could miss out, so there he stayed. About 30 minutes seemed to pass and all Himitsu could think about was food, he clutched at his gut, starting to feel the pains of an empty stomach and tried to think of anything to take his mind off of it. His eyes locked forward and he looked out to the bay, watching motor boats chug on by, one motorboat had even changed course off the bay and seemed to be heading toward his pier. Suddenly one of the men on the little boat screamed out,

"There you are, little shit. Thanks for waiting!"

Himitsu couldn't believe it, it was the three gangsters once again, charged at full speed towards him. With a face white with fright, he shot up and ran back off the pier as the boat pulled up alongside, the three men hopping off the boat in sequence and didn't bother tying it down. How they had gotten that boat was of no concern to the boy, all he could think of was once again getting as far away from them as possible. They shot through the markets and through convenience stores, nothing Himitsu could do would falter their approach and without options, ran up and into the forests surrounding the town. Blitzing up and down hills, streams and tree trunks; he put all of his remaining effort towards losing them in any way possible, all the while running on an empty stomach. Himitsu knew that he would not be lasting long and either he or his three pursuers would be leaving this forest by the end of tonight.

Further up the forest, relaxing in the warm springs he and his mother enjoyed some down-time at, Jin Kazama was lounging away without a care for anything other than himself. Away from his mother, his chores and his exercise books; Jin found the springs to be a great away to break free from any responsibilities he had, that was until his mother would cut this freedom short and drag him back to reality. While he didn't exactly share his mother's affinity towards nature, it was the little things like this that made him feel closer to the world around him and that was how he liked it. About 100 metres away in a grove was his mother Jun, she sat with her back to a lone cherry blossom tree, reading one of her novels with a squirrel rested on one of her shoulders. At this time, she had been listening more to nature as she felt ominous premonitions calling out to her, warning her of the future ahead. Something was going to come here, something of great power and evil and it wouldn't be stopped. She had avoided telling her son any of this as for one she didn't want him to be caught up in anything dangerous and also she was still in the dark as to exactly what it could be. She thought it might be the Devil, who had come here once before, to corrupt Jin in his early youth. Luckily Jun that bravely fought it on her own and somehow emerged victorious and since then, it had stayed away, clearly aware of the hidden powers Jun possessed. She still remained unsure as to this evil's true identity and choose to stay in connection with the flora surrounding her, letting them speak to her. At that moment Jun felt an image flash in her head, someone was being chased through the woods nearby, it was a boy. A sense of justice swelled within her as she put down her book and placed the squirrel on a branch of the cherry blossom, she set off to investigate.

His breath was short; he could barely suck in any more air to quell the fire burning in his lungs. Sweat covered his body, stinging his eyes and drenching his clothes. His legs ached with every step he took and he felt blood in his shoes. Himitsu was at his end, no matter how much he wanted to continue running, every muscle, bone and blood vessel in his body cried for mercy. He could still hear movement over his shoulder as the orange haired gangster and his friends remained shortly behind, surely they were tired also but Himitsu couldn't stop to check. While everything below his neck hurt like hell, his brain still willed them to move onward, to keep up the pace and fight through the pain. Himitsu had then entered a clearing, here there was no change in the land's height and the Sun could still be seen over the trees to the west. His vision was blurry and spots danced over everything he looked at but still he continued moving. Before he could escape the clearing a figure ended up in front on him on the edge of the forest, it was Ken. Himitsu doubled back only to be grabbed from behind, he was being held by Naro and Woozy was just behind. It was over, he had lost.

Naro lifted him up straight, his look of exhaustion pierced into Himitsu's eyes and then shot his knee up right between the boy's legs.

"That… was for…. My balls…"

He shot the knee up another 2 times, each with more force than the last and then tossed him on the floor. Himitsu's vision started going white from the pain in his crotch and tears welled in his eyes. Woozy stomped over and started kicking Himitsu repeatedly in the ass.

"That…was for…my ass!" he said between breaths. He stopped as he saw the confused look in his friends faces.

"Hey…it hurt when I fell over grabbing his shirt okay? Let he have this."

He then proceeded to pick up the boy and then body slam him into the dirt, winding Himitsu. The two gangsters started stomping on every part of Himitsu, Naro getting a few shots again in between the legs. At this points Himitsu felt himself slipping in and out of consciousness, he felt his nose break, his ribs cracking and his arm and legs blacken from the raining down of blows. Slowly the continuous hits subsided as Ken pushed between his pals and told them to hang back, satisfied they had got theirs in. With a flat smile from ear to ear, he grabbed the sleeveless shirt and yanked it off and did the same to the orange and red singlet. He turned the boys flailing body onto his stomach and reached for one of his arms, with his hands in place he bent back violently and snapped the arm at the elbow. The scream found its way out of Himitsu's throat from the incredible pain and Ken beamed at the sound.

"That's it, let it all out. No one apart from us can hear it though. Say, your hairs grown from the last time I saw you."

Still smiling, he then positioned the boy's backside off the ground and tore a hole at the back of his shorts.

"You remember what I was going to do to you last year? I was gonna stick that little knife of yours up your ass and split the motherfucker open. Well, I don't have a knife on me this time…"

Woozy didn't like where this was going, "Hold on Ken-shin, you really wanna do this?"

"This sack of shit is gonna die tonight and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it, starting now."

"Don't pity that little shit Woo," said Naro, "He's getting exactly what's coming to him."

"Good to hear you didn't like the fact he hit your ball Naro, I might give you a turn if you're interested."

"Nah bro, it's all yours Ken."

Ken grabbed a handful of Himitsu's hair and forced him ear close.

"Do you know how much that necklace was worth?" he asked the boy, "That fucking necklace was going to get me 6,000,000 yen. Now I know you're never going to tell me what you did with it and I guess you actually can't right now hahaha. So I'm going to hump 6,000,000 yen's worth of fucks out of your corpse until I'm happy!"

He then smashed Himitsu's head back into the ground and mushed it into the soil. Not a finger could be lifted from the boy as all his senses started to fail on him, he would only hear the wind blowing over his head and through the trees and the sound of a zipper coming loose.

"GET OFF OF HIM!"

The three gangsters looked to the direction of the noise and saw a woman standing at the end of the clearing. Fire burned in her eyes as she looked at the vile image before her. She began striding forward to the men without a hint of fear, only the look of antipathy could be seen across her face.

"How dare you harm this poor, defenceless child, have you no shame? You sick, sorry excuses for men!"

Ken dumped Himitsu onto his side and stood to face the woman, "Listen here bitch, this is none of your business. So turn around and fuck off if you know what's good for you."

With his face out of the ground, Himitsu could see his would-be rescuer for himself. Everything around her was a blur as he focused the last of his attention towards her. The woman was a splitting image of an angel on Earth; her hair shone a dazzling black in the sunset, it was just a bit shorter than his own and was held back with a white headband but a few bangs still hung out the front. She wore a glowing white gown that ended just at her knees and wore matching white high-heel sandals. Her whole white image made her body glowed at such an extent, Himitsu felt his eyes hurting but that may have been due his whole body in pain. She continued on her path towards the three men who were now standing side by side one another, still she didn't show a hint of fear and it was unnerving the gangsters.

"You LISTEN to me, you are going to leave now and never come back. Otherwise I'll have to throw you off this island myself."

The three laughed in hysterics, "Is this broad serious?" wheezed Naro, buckling over.

"Looks like the slut wants to be a hero!" proclaimed Woozy, the three set their eyes on the young woman with devilish intent, "I say we make her regret that decision, right here, right now."

"She's got three holes, we've got a dick each, I'm more than happy to make her squeal like a pig." Said Ken with the three then starting to advance in unison.

The woman held up her arms and took a fighting stance, her hands open and pointed in the direction of the men moving towards her. They broke into a run and jumped at the woman, as they did so, she jumped also and flipped her whole body over them in a flying cartwheel, landing between them and the boy. As they spun around, her quickly advanced towards them and performed a Spinning Heel Kick, hitting all three of them across the face, launching them backwards.

"If you want me, you're going to have to do better than that." She taunted.

Three broke their unison, each getting up in their own time and blindly charging forward. Naro went first but was leg-sweeped by the woman's Sacred Blade technique. Ken came next and was launched upwards by a fierce uppercut and while in the air was hit by a jab, uppercut and flying kick combo which caused him to tumble in the air, into the ground hard. Woozy followed behind and threw the first punch from the men, it was easily blocked and counted by a technique known as Inner Strength where the woman's hands quickly stabbed into the chest and abdomen of Woozy, directly hitting his nerves and making him to momentarily limp. Before he dropped to the floor he was hit by a White Heron Dance combo, with the final kick launching the gangster even further than before. Naro was back on his feet and starting throwing punches in a rage.

"Fuck, are the fuck are you?!" he yelled as every fist he threw was either dodged or blocked.

The woman simply smirked at the man's anger and then countered with a Dragon Wheel kick, lifting Naro off his feet, and the following up with a Demon Slayer uppercut. Ken was back up in a daze and charged again at the woman who easily put him back on the floor with a Wheel kick which connected at Ken's forehead. Directly behind him Woozy had staggered back onto his feet. The woman proceeded to spin through the air towards her target with two Twin Cloud Kicks, the first stamping on Ken with force and the second hitting Woozy twice over his head. Woozy stumbled around, ready for the knockout and it got with a Kariashi Shiranui, Woozy rocketed into the air with the final kick and came back down with a hard splat, unconscious. The woman quickly turned her attention back to Naro who had tried to sneak up on her; he was met with a Swallow Mallet Combo, kicking him away and as he tried to get up quickly he was brought make down hard with a Falling Tower move which smashed the back of his head into the ground. As the woman straightened up, Himitsu saw Ken rush in on her blind side and before she could react, he landed a solid front kick to the side of her head. The woman lost her footing momentarily and ended up on the ground.

"Hahaha, looks like you're not so tough shit after all." Ken said with a smirk, despite his body in pain.

The woman in white shook her head briefly, shaking the cobwebs off and looked right at Ken, "Glad to see you finally got one in, allow me to thank you for it."

Instantly the woman rose off the ground and uppercuted the orange haired gangster and continued into a long combo of kicks and punches, hitting every vital point of Ken's body. She finished with the flying cartwheel kick she used at the start and brought Ken to his knees from the impact. As an extra finale she then grappled Ken by the arm and performed a Katanuki which brought to gangster on to the ground on his stomach and instantly had his arm snapped. He yelped in pain and went limp as a result. All that remained was Naro, trying one last time to get to his feet. The woman twirled towards him and all he could was watch as she used her momentum to land a vicious Spinning Heel Kick, knocking him out cold.

Jun Kazama stood tall over her bloody and bruised victims, breathing deeply. She then settled herself, dropped her arms and quickly made her way over to Himitsu who could barely see anymore. He breath was thin and his entire body was riddled with cuts and bruises, the woman looked to his broken arm and knew it had to be repositioned now or it may never heal properly. Carefully she lifted the arm and held it at the right areas and in a quick motion, snapped it back into place. Once again a scream came out of the boy's mouth, this time with a hint of choking on his own breath. With that Jun picked up the boy bridal style and started walking back to her cottage with Himitsu unconscious in her arms.

Jin meanwhile was waiting at the front of their home wondering where she had gone. She was usually never out this late and he worried about where she might be. Then through the trees his mother emerged, holding a boy in her arms. Jin ran from the house towards his mother and she offered him the legs of the unconscious child.

"Hold his legs Jin, we need to bring him to my room."

Jin did as he was told and soon after they were crossing their living room and into Jun's bedroom where they carefully set the boy down on her bed.

"Watch him for a minute darling I need to get some things for his wounds." Said Jun as she left the two boys alone.

Jin looked at the boy, inspecting his wounds in astonishment; who is this kid and where did he come from? With a closer look at his face, Jin thought had they kinda looked alike. Jun returned holding a few rolls of bandages, rubbing alcohol, tissues and a wet towel. Using the towel, Jun dabbed his head and where there was dirt to clean his body, started to clean up the blood off him with the tissues and then rubbed some alcohol gently over the swelling bruises. She wrapped up his once broken arm in a sling with the bandages and used more of it to wrap around the cuts he had sustained.

"Mum, what happened to him?"

"He was attacked by some men in the forest."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Who is he?"

"I'm not sure Jin, I couldn't get his name."

"What do you think the men wanted with him?"

"Again darling, I don't know."

"I'll ask him when he wakes up then."

"That might not be such a good idea honey. Right now he doesn't know where he is and he's seriously injured. It could be a couple of days before he's okay."

"Ok, well what are we doing to do with him?"

"What we're doing right now darling, taking care of him and looking after him. Here, rinse this in the hot water and bring it back." Jun handed her son the towel.

"Yes mum, umm what will happen when he's better?"

"We'll see, I'm certain this parents are worried sick about him."

Jin then left to room with the towels as Jun continued wrapping around the cuts of the boy, a few bandages had already become a little red from the blood still coming out. She looked at the boy's face and wondered to herself, _He looks a little like Jin._

* * *

(In reference to the moves that Jun was using, I took their names off Asuka's movelist. I disregarded her move list from TTT2 as this is canon and set in a time before she would have developed new moves to differ herself from Asuka. I'm glad to have gotten to this point so far, we're close to breaking in the T3 side of the story. Enjoy!)


	7. Reasons to Belong

Chapter 7 – Reasons to Belong

It's about 8 in the morning in Japan, the Sun is peeking up, over the Pacific and touches the serene land with its warmth. The forests of Yakushima are glistening after a late night shower blessed the island; birds are soaring over the canopy and are singing their playful melodies. Beneath a lone cheery blossom tree sits an 11 year old boy with his legs crossed and eyes closes; he has been meditating for the past hour and had been up since 6. His thoughts are circulating back to the first morning he woke up in this strange new place, he had bandages all over his body and he smelt of spirits. His eyes squinted from the sudden flush of light from a nearby window as someone in the room had gone to open it resulting in a groan from the disorientation. At the sound, the figure turned quickly and walked over to the bed. As his eyes readjusted he caught glimpses of a women who looked in her 20s. Her face was a canvas of beauty and the light from the window touches the edges of her profile and gave her the moniker of a goddess. Her mouth moved as words seems to come out but he couldn't hear her properly over the ringing in his ears. He tried to formulate a response but as he drew breath, his lungs went hot with pain. His heart started to pound in his chest as he struggled to catch any air. The woman noticed his distress and placed a hand over head to hold him back as she rubbed a strong smelled liquid over his chest. The previous fire felt extinguished by another, less temperament fire causing his breathing to steady. The woman went to speak again, only this time the ringing had subsided.

"Are you okay?"

"…ye…ye…" was all he could manage.

"Don't worry, you are safe here."

Her voice was like honey, smooth and golden. It felt like she could tell you to world was ending today and you'd take the news well. The headband holding back her shining black hair kept her face in the perfect image, she shone with radiance and her eyes were like diamond pearls, looking over you with tender grace.

"What…are you..?" he uttered.

A faint smile ran across her lips, "Ahum, I'm just like you." She answered.

"No you're not… You're… beautiful."

"Ohh you're so sweet, but how I look doesn't differ who I am from you." She answered calmly, although her cheeks went a little pinkish, "What is your name?"

"H…Himitsu." He was having such trouble stringing words together as his head became light and heavy at the same time. His eyes blinked slowly as he felt he was going under again.

"Himitsu, what a lovely name." he heard from her, "My name is Jun Kazama, pleased to meet you."

His eyes closed fully and he couldn't find the strength to open them but could still feel her hand gently on his cheek. Himitsu opened his eyes from under the cherry blossom. His hair had grown more longer in the 3 years he'd spent here and his body had become a little more toned and his features more solid and fuller as well. He wore a white, buttoned long sleeve and camo coloured board shorts that went just past his knee. His hair was now tied in a ponytail with some strands out the front, sticking up in a spike and the hair tied up had a natural spike to it as well. He left his place of meditation and ran back to the cottage where he stayed with Jun and Jin.

Since he had become fit again, he had the choice to leave the Kazama and journey back home but he decided against it for two reasons; one was that he worried that the 20 Buster gang would try and find him again and he felt much safer out here, and two was that something inside him wanted to stay with the Kazamas as for the first time in his life he had felt a sense of family and deeply enjoyed it. But today he was going to take a risk, and he needed Jin with him also to accomplish it. He dashed into the house looking for Jin and found him still in his bed. Himitsu sighed at the sight for the 10 year old before him, he was usually late to get up nowadays and had a hint of laziness about him, not that Himitsu minded though; what Jin couldn't do around the house he felt happy doing it himself. He loved it here and loved the Kazamas dearly and could never hope to repay them for their kindness, especially Jun.

"Jin, come on, get up." He nudged him but got no response. He sighed again and took a different approach and pinched Jin's nostrils closed. In a few seconds he started choking and snorted and his eyes shot up. Himitsu withdrew his hand and sidestepped Jin's flailing arms.

"What was that for?!"

"It's past 8 already, stop sleeping and get dressed, we've got a big day ahead of us."

"What? Why?"

"We're going to Miyanoura, just the two of us."

"So? It's not like we've never been there before."

"I know, but today is going to be different, trust me. Now, hurry up, I'll be out the front."

With that, Himitsu went out the house and waited for Jin to follow, in a minute he was out the front door with a yawn. The two headed off in search of Jun to notify her of where they were going. They found her by a Clearwater stream, washing some linens. A few critters were in her vicinity, a common sight with her.

"Hey mum." Said Jin, his mother turned and flashed a warm smile.

"Hello, boys, good to see you both up and outside."

"I've been up since 6 Ms. Kazama." Boasted Himitsu, Jin rolled his eyes.

"That's great dear, what were you doing?" asked Jun.

"Meditating under the cherry blossom nearby. You were right saying that you could feel its energy."

"Well I told you so, well what's in store for you two today? There's some dried leaves on the roof that needs to be taken down you know."

"That's great," said Himitsu, "But we were actually going to go to Miyanoura for the day."

"The whole day? That seems a bit too long, and you only just went last week."

"I know but there's some things we wanna do down there, important boy stuff."

"I'd much rather prefer for you both to stay around here today." Jun said with her rare show of sternness, "There's a lot of stuff for you to do."

"Aww please Ms. Kazama, we can do all those things and more tomorrow. Can't we have this day, please?"

Jun looked at Jin who had remained silent after his greeting, he was as much in the dark as Jun was, but he still wanted to go regardless. He decided to chime in and give Himitsu some support, "We promise to do all our chores tomorrow mom."

Jun tilts her head to the side, draws a deep breath and sighs fully, "Very well, but you have to be back before sundown okay?"

"Yes Ms. Kazama, we will, thank you!" he bumped Jin on the shoulder and ran off with Jin following behind.

"Do you have anything to eat?" Jun called out.

"I've got it covered!" Himitsu yelled back

Jun watched the two disappear into the trees, she stood for a brief moment after and then returned to her linens. Her intuition told her that something was up and decided that in a bit she'll follow down to make sure they were alright. Meanwhile the two boys were jogging through the forest towards the port town, Jin was having no problem keeping up with the older boy as he was just as toned as he was. Jin had some black and blue board shorts on with blue flames on them and a dark green polo. His hair was a bit shorter than usual having recently got it cut; his bangs were short and his hair up the back was combed down, although a few bits were sticking up at their usual places. At the pace, they would be at the port town in about 40 minutes. It was only now that Jin tried to get more info out of Himitsu.

"Hey Mits!" Jin called to Himitsu with a nickname he gave him, "What are we going to do at Miyanoura?"

"You'll know when we get there Jin!" Himitsu answered back, Jin didn't need a nickname.

"Why can't you tell me now?"

"Because I wanna keep it a surprise!"

"Ok, that sounds cool!"

"It will be, I promise!"

The two boys had really bonded with each other over the three years; Jin saw Himitsu as the brother he never had and someone other than his mother that he could hang out with on a daily basis, Himitsu saw Jin as someone he could have been in different circumstances, he envied him and felt a sense of responsibility for him. They would rarely have a dull moment together and were always up for adventure around the island, something that Jun rarely protested to now that Jin had someone to play with. She was glad they took to each other so well which gave her more time alone to her thoughts as she kept on the lookout for any signs that could relay to the evil that she had been sensing. Finally, the trees started to grow in distance to one another as the two boys reached the edge of the forest and made their way towards Miyanoura. The marketplace looks as busy as always and there were several ships and boats tied at the docks.

"Good, we're on time." Said Himitsu.

"On time for what Mits?" asked Jin, "What's going on? Tell me."

"Come on, we're going to the docks."

"The docks? What are we doing there?"

Come on!" droned Himitsu as he tugged at Jin's arm so they could continue.

As they made their way down and through the town, Himitsu took a wad of cash out of his pocket causing Jin's jaw to drop.

"Where did you get that?!" he blurted out.

"I borrowed it."

"From who, my mum?"

"No! No, someone."

"Who?"

"Never you mind."

Jin's eyes grew wider, "You stole it!"

Himitsu threw an arm over Jin's mouth, "Shhhhhh… no, I told you I borrowed it okay?"

"And are you going to give it back?" Jin said after pushed Himitsu's hand away.

"Yeah, one day."

"One day, yeah sure." Said Jin sarcastically, "And what are you going to do with that?"

"Well, first off we're going to get something to eat."

"Okay…"

"And," continued Himitsu, "Then we're going to get on a boat."

Jin stood blank-faced, "…Why are we getting on a boat?"

"Because, we're going to Kagoshima for the day."

Jin's face went whiter than usual, Himitsu simple stood there and waited for the eventual outburst.

"Why the hell are we going on a boat to Kagoshima!?"

"I need to visit my old home and see if it's still there." Replied Himitsu, although that was only half the reason. He didn't want to divulge too much too early, this was a risky task to pull after all.

"I don't like this," said Jin with authority in his voice. "Mum would be really upset if she found out we went on a boat off the island. Not only that, Kagoshima is really far away, it'll take us hours to get there AND we have to come back as well."

"Don't worry about that, look as long as we come back before sundown we won't have to tell her anything. I don't plan on being there long so after I'm done we'll take an immediate ship back here. And look, if we don't make it back early enough and your mum asks questions. I'll own up to it as my idea and I dragged you along for it okay? You won't be in trouble, I will."

"You'd do that?" Jin was surprised by Himitsu's gallantry.

"Of course," declared Himitsu, "This is my idea after all, I just need you to come along with me, I can't just leave you here on your own."

Jin started to smile a little, "Okay, let's get something to eat then!"

The two boys bounded off and found a street vendor selling some cooked fish. Himitsu paid the man and the boys went off in the direction of the docks, eating as they went. They finished up just as they reached a boat, ferrying people off the island, the destination was Kagoshima. Himitsu had been planning this for a bit and so far, so good. He paid the boatman and they got on-board with the other passengers. In 20 minutes' time, the boat cast off and the two boys watched as they left the bay and out into open sea. Himitsu turned to his friend who seemed pale.

"Are you worried?" he asked.

"I don't know; I'm feeling a little dizzy."

"Oh, then you might be a little sea sick then. It happened to me the first time I came here; I threw up five times." He laughed a little.

"I'll let you know if I need to throw up then," said Jin, "Do we even enough money to get back?"

Himitsu looked at the remaining yen, right now he didn't but it was no worry to him, once at Kagoshima he'll be able to get much, much more money. "Yeah, we will." Was his response.

Jin gave a smile, then his smile dropped as his face got sweaty, "Where do I throw up?"

His friend quickly helped him up and over to the edge of the boat, as soon as Jin looked overboard, the fish he ate re-emerged. Himitsu patted him on the back.

"There goes my food."

"At least you threw up on a full stomach, I didn't eat before."

They sat back down and talked for a while longer, then silence came between them as they admired the ocean around them, neither feeling the urge to throw up now they started to enjoy themselves. Himitsu started thinking back to the afternoon when he first came to Yakushima; he was running from three members of the 20 Buster gang who had it out for Himitsu ever since he infiltrated their hangout to steal back a gold and diamond necklace. He couldn't remember much after they caught him in a clearing, apart for the intense and brutal beating they gave him. One of the gangster was going to do something horrible to Himitsu until Jun intervened and saved him. Since the day he could stand again, he decided to do everything he could to repay her kindness to him. But he felt like it just wasn't enough, he felt bad that he couldn't be of more help until he was meditating one day and thought back to his meeting with the ninja swordsman, Yoshimitsu. He remembered that the ninja stole riches himself but gave them to people in need and it gave him an idea on how he could repay Jun.

Eventually the two could see the sight of land, they had arrived at Kagoshima bay. The boat travelled up the coast and Mt. Sakurajima came into sight. The boat then steered to the left and went into the docks, giving Himitsu memories of the last time he had been here; he gulped and prayed that he never ran into the 20 Buster gangsters ever again. Gradually the boat stopped at its respective pier and the passengers exited, Jin stared at the surrounding city, he had never seen a city this huge and was taking it all in. Himitsu watched his friend with amusement, this is the reason why he wanted Jin to come along, he had to experience this for once in his life and who knows, Jin might stay in Yakushima for the rest of his life. Jin then turned to face Himitsu.

"So where to first?"

"Well like I said, we need to find my old place so let's not waste any more time."

"Right." Said Jin with earnest.

The two set off out of the dock and into the city, in the 3 years away it seems that the city's technology had improved, the traffic wasn't that bad anymore with more traffic lights to be seen and overall the streets looked a whole lot cleaner. _I guess they've been getting rid of the street kids,_ Himitsu thought to himself. Despite how new everything looked, he still knew his way around the area and before long they had turned into a back alley where a small allotted space was. It was here that Himitsu resided in his little shack, and to no surprise from his absence, his shack was gone, only a pile of garbage lay in its place. Himitsu wandered over to the heap and stood for a moment in reflection, it was here that he spent two tough years of his life. How a child at the age of only 6 could survive in a place like this was sometimes beyond words for the boy, but somehow he made it by. Jin walked up to Himitsu and inspected the trash on the floor.

"This was where I lived." Stated Himitsu, Jin looked up at his friend.

"I'm so sorry." He replied.

"You don't have to say that, it's not your fault that I lived like this and trust me, it looked somewhat better before."

"Did you need anything from here?" Jin asked.

"No," Himitsu answered, "There's nothing here for me."

"Well, okay then. I guess we head back home now."

"Not yet."

"What? Why not? You said there's nothing here for you."

"Yeah nothing HERE." Himitsu emphasised the last word to explain his point, "But there is one more place we have to go."

"Alright, alright. Just be quick."

"What? I thought you liked looking at this place, you can't keep your eyes off anything." Himitsu scoffed.

"Mits." Said Jin sternly, copying his mum. Himitsu got the message.

They headed off through more streets and alleys. Jin definitely liked seeing this place, he had been so used to the look of the towns and villages of Yakushima that he thought that was how all the places he had read about looked like, only bigger. But here, there was barely any green, the wind couldn't be felt at times and as glorious as some buildings looked, the overall greyness gave off a depressing image at times. He couldn't stop asking himself how Himitsu could live in a place like this on his own.

Finally, Himitsu and Jin had reached their destination, an old building complex that looked much older than most places nearby. Himitsu had a mind to go to the Buddhist temple nearby but he didn't want to annoy Jin any more than he had already.

"Ok, I'm going to go inside here for a while." Said Himitsu, turning to Jin, "You stay out here and wait for me."

"What? I'm not staying out here on my own!" came Jin's reply.

"Look, I'd rather you not come in here okay?"

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because WHY?" both boys were coming to their wits end. Jin was not comfortable being left outside on his own in a place he knew nothing about whereas Himitsu had come to the building at his secret stash was kept, and no one knew about it and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Look, what's inside here is personal to me and nobody knows about it. So I need you to stay out here while I go inside."

"So what? I don't care about what you have inside here, beside you've already brought me here so you never know if one day I come back here and find what you have inside. Either way I'm not staying out here and you can't make me if you tried."

Well, Jin had him there. Seeing no way out of this, Himitsu gave in.

"Okay fine, come on."

They entered the building and started making their way down below ground where only a few underground lamps hit up the corridor they were on. Spider webs and dripping pipes littered the hallway as they continued on and blankets lined several patches along the walls. Finally, they came to a stop as Himitsu moved a blanket away revealing a stack of rock slab along a wall. One by one he moved them out of the way as Jin watched from behind, and with the last big slab moved, the hidden stash could be seen. Himitsu went on his way to reach into the hole and started picking wads of yen out. Jin craned his neck over and looked inside, there were no many shiny and expensive things in the wall that Jin felt mesmerized. He then felt a sharp hand push him away as Himitsu eyed him coldly.

"You stole all of these didn't you?" Jin accused.

Himitsu didn't turn around as he kept stuffing his wallets.

"How could you do all this?"

"Because it was the only choice I had!" snapped back Himitsu, still with his back turned, "I came to Kagoshima with nothing, I was a street brat and I took what I could because it was the only way to live. I had no family, no money so I took what I wanted so that one day I could be wealthy like all those assholes in their homes. I stole because if I didn't, I'd die."

"…" Jin was silent.

Himitsu continued loading up on yen until his hand went over the gold necklace and mini diamond necklace he nearly died to get. He picked it up and looked at it, a repressed memory of his first time in Yakushima flashed across his mind. He was a bloody mess and the orange hair gangster named Ken was straddled behind him. He had his hair and yanked him close him to whisper, _Do you know how much that necklace was worth? That fucking necklace was going to get me 6,000,000 yen._ This necklace had nearly got him killed on two separate occasions, it was earning quite the rap sheet. Then a thought crossed the boy's mind, _This necklace would be great for Jun, it's beautiful just like her._ The idea of having something worthy of her made Himitsu smile, with that he stuffed the necklace into one of his pockets and then started moving the rock slabs back into place and finally draped the blanket back in its position. He turned to Jin who hadn't spoken the whole time.

"Hey, sorry for talking like that back then, I guess I came off a little too strong and I shouldn't have acted like that to you, you don't deserve it."

Jin smiled a little, "It's okay, I forgive you."

"Good, now look." Himitsu had a straight look on his face, "I have NEVER told anyone about this place because I never wanted it to be taken away from me, now I'm doing something I've never done before and that's trusting that you'll never breathe a word about this place to anyone. Can I have your word that you won't tell anyone about it.

"You have my word." Said Jin proudly, he held out a fist and extended his little finger, "I pinkie swear."

Himitsu flashed a smile as he held out his fist as well and extended his little finger and wrapped it around Jin's. They smiled at one another in understanding.

"Now can we go home?" asked Jin.

"Yes! Let's go." Said Himitsu and laughed.

They exited the building and started making their way to the docks, Himitsu eyed a clock at one of the stores they passed and sighed. Jin picked up on it.

"What is it?"

"The ferry to Yakushima is going to leave in a few minutes, we're not going to make it on that one."

"Well, that now?" Jin sounded worried.

"Don't worry, another ferry boat is going to leave to Yakushima in an hour's time, although we definitely won't be arriving as quickly."

"Meaning?"

"Well even if we sprinted home from the moment we landed, it'll probably be just after sundown when we get home."

"Well in that case, my mum's gonna flip, literally."

"Hey, remember what I said, I'll take the fall, it's okay."

They continued on, passing through streets and bobbing into alleyways to save time. They looked like they were in the clear and would arrive well on time for the second boat until they were blocked off in an alley by two boys around the same age.

"Stop right there!" one yelled.

"This street has a toll; you better give us something good or you're not leaving."

Jin was startled at what he was witnessing, Himitsu simply took a step forward.

"Get bent you pair of losers." He barked back, "You should back off you know what's good for you."

"We're not moving, and neither are you til you cough up something." Said the first one.

"Whatever, we'll just go back the way we came." Said Himitsu, but turning around, Jin and Himitsu saw 4 more boys blocking their way, they weren't as big as the two in-front but were still intimidating together.

"Either cough it up or we'll smash your faces." Demanded the second boy.

"Mits," said Jin, "I think we should-"

"Shut it." Said Himitsu, "We're no pushovers, we can easily take these clowns."

"I don't know Mits, what if we miss the second boat."

"We won't." replied Himitsu, raising his fists. Jin turned sideways and prepared himself as well.

The 6 boys got into a circle around the two with their backs to each other, they weren't strangers to fights, with Himitsu used to fighting for his share on these streets and Jin catching glimpses of his mother's training at times, even trying to mimic her moves in his spare time. If Himitsu said that they were going to fight their way out, then Jin would do so as well as it felt right to the both of them. With that the group charged in and the fight began. The 6 would use their number advantage to try and have one or two hold either of the two back while the rest would throw punches, but everytime, Jin and Himitsu with either skill or tenacity would fight free and land a mix of punches and kicks themselves. They did well working together to help the other if in need and would at times knock one of two of the 6 to their feet and one time. At one point, three of the 6 had backed Himitsu into a corner, separating him from Jin as the other three started working Jin to the ground, stamping on his body. As much as Himitsu tried, he couldn't free from the trio holding him even with the toughness he had. He watched as two boys held Jin's arms as the other worked his body before landing a solid punch in Jin's face which clearly rocked him. Himitsu expected Jin to crumple after it but instead Jin looked at the boy with an expression of anger Himitsu had never seen from his friend before. Jin broke free from the two and charged at the third, bringing him to the ground with an Ultimate Tackle and started wailing punches in the boy's face. The other two went back to Jin and pulled him off but Jin quickly countered with a swinging elbow to the nose of one of the boys and then a Spinning Heel Kick, much like his mother's to the second. All three were on the ground and Jin moved back to the boy he originally tackled and started throwing punches again. One of the boys on Himitsu broke away and went after Jin which gave Himitsu the opportunity to break free; he kicked one of the boys in the crotch and then took the other and pushed him into the wall hard. He quickly went over to the final boy who had Jin in a headlock and pushed him away.

"Quick, let's go!" Himitsu yelled, he grabbed Jin by the arm and they quickly ran out of the alley, leaving their combatants behind.

They didn't stop running until they reached the pier, on the way nearly running into a few cars on the road. They made it to the boat and Himitsu paid the boatman in a sweat and with that they boarded the boat and waited for it to cast off. The two were still breathing heavily from the adrenaline as Himitsu looked towards Jin, he noticed red coming from his nose.

"Oh shit, Jin, you're bleeding." Said Himitsu, pointing at Jin's nose.

Jin finally noticed and wiped away the blood with his hand, red stained just under his nose but he didn't care. Shortly afterwards the boat blew its horn and they were off. They both sat in silence, watching the Sun flash crystals onto the sea, the sky was a warm orange with a hint of night-time blue coming from the east. The moon smiled at them and the waves lashed in response. In a few hours they had returned to Yakushima with the Sun's light barely seen from the west. Jin talked to Himitsu for the first time.

"Looks like we're definitely not gonna make it home in time."

"It doesn't matter." said Himitsu, thought his eyes stayed on the ground with doubt.

When the boat docked they quickly ran to the forest with determination to make up as much time as possible. The Sun had now properly set and the orange of the sky was on the verge of leaving and stars could be seen from up high. Jin looked at Himitsu who ran just a few feet in front of him; he could tell that today was something that his friend had to do and although they would most definitely be getting into trouble for this, Jin was glad that he got to share the day with Himitsu, despite the fight they got into and the time they had wasted. All Himitsu could think of is whether or not the money he had would make up for what he had done today as he knew that Jun would've been worried sick for the both of them by now.

They made it back to the cottage in less than 40 minutes with their legs in pain. Just as they both expected, Jun was waiting impatiently on the front porch, an expression of disappointment on her face as they slowed their pace and walked up to her. Her arms were crossed and her body language was cold and angry, a rare sight from her.

"Where have the two of you been?" she asked loudly, "I went down to Miyanoura and neither of you were there, and now you turn up well after Sundown, directly disobeying me and what I asked you. Do you have any idea how worried I was? How worried I still am? Where were you?"

"In Kagoshima." Jin replied.

Jun gasped at the answer, her mood didn't improve, "K-Kagoshima? What on Earth? How, w-why are you there? What is going on here?!"

"It was my idea Ms. Kazama," owned up Himitsu as he promised, "I had to go back in see what was left of where I lived-"

"You told me you had no home to live in!"

"I said I had no family of my own, I still lived on the streets and I wanted to see if the place I lived at was still there, and it wasn't."

"You took my son across the ocean just for… Jin your face!" she had noticed the red stain under his nose and inspected it, "What happened?"

"We got into a fight." Was Jin's reply, Jun's expression of anger got even worse.

"Go inside and wash it off this instant!" he barked at him.

Jin started slowly waking home to the cottage then stopped and turned around, "Don't be hard on Mits mum-"

"Inside now Jin!" she interrupted.

"No mum listen!" came back from Jin, his mother looked over her should as the outburst from her son, she had never heard him talk-back before, "I know what we did today was wrong and we got into a fight, but we had no choice as we were cornered. Not only that, I'm happy that I got to see something different for a change. Kagoshima is great and a nice change from the villages here. I don't regret going okay?"

Jun paused for a moment then turned back to Himitsu, "Jin, just go inside and wash your face."

Her son decided he should go at that, Jun sounded a little calmer now and he didn't want anything bad to happen to his friend, he continued on inside leaving Jun and Himitsu outside.

"Ms. Kazama, I'm really sorry for lying to you about where we were going today."

"Himitsu, you put my son in danger today. I'm not happy about this, you know how much trust I put in you to keep him safe."

"But Ms. Kazama, Jin wasn't lying when he said we had no choice, there were six of them."

"Six of them?"

"Yeah and Jin took down 3 of them on his own, he was amazing Ms. Kaz-"

"Enough, you went to all this trouble just to see your old home and for you two to get into a fight?"

"No, I did it for you."

Jun stared at Himitsu in confusion but then her jaw dropped as Himitsu started pulling out wads of yen from this pockets and held it in-front of her. Her eyes were pure circles of shock as the piles of money in his hands kept growing until he was holding his total of just under 300,000 yen. The only thing left in his pockets was the necklace which he planned to pull out next until Jun cut him short.

"Where did you get all of this?" her eyes were still wide.

"I had it kept in a secret place in the city," Himitsu responded, "I want you to have it."

"How did you get all this?" the question sounded more like an accusation, Himitsu knew better than to lie.

"I stole it."

"…"

"Stealing was the only thing that kept we going, "Himitsu continued, "But I want you to have it because you need it more than I do now."

Jun was still quiet as Himitsu started reaching into his pocket for the necklace, at this Jun spoke.

"Stop it, now. Himitsu I don't need this money, especially if it isn't yours to begin with. I don't want stolen money."

"But it's mine now, and now it's yours. I have to repay you for the kindness you've given me."

"You think I took care of you for money!?" she was flustered at her disbelief, "You think I knew you had this much money on you and gave you a home and a family for wealth? What were you thinking?"

Himitsu had started to sweat again, "I only took this because you needed it more than I do, you and Jin barely get by anyway…"

"I have everything I need right here, with Jin; and you." Jun put a hand on Himitsu's shoulder, "You should never have to think about finding some way to pay me back, I have never asked anything from you apart from looking after Jin. Jin has always wanted a brother but I could never give him that, and yet fate gave me you. You have done so much for us in the time you've been here so don't think for a second that I need anything from you, I have your love and that's more than all the money in the world could cost me."

Himitsu couldn't speak as tears flowed from his eyes.

"Jin looks at you as a brother and that's all I could ever ask from you, to be a brother to Jin. I know we don't live a lavish life and I'm certain you never knew the term yourself when you lived in Kagoshima. If you want to help out on any way possible that's fine, but this money isn't going to change anything. And while I might not agree with the things you did on your own, I could never take this money that belongs to you. You have lived a hard life and have more need for it than Jin and I ever will."

Jun knelt down and stroked Himitsu's hair, moving it away from his eyes. His eyes were still full of tears as they placed her hands on his cheeks. She continued to speak.

"One day Himitsu, I fear that I won't be around to watch over you and Jin. I can feel the presence of a coming evil in the air and I'm frightened that I won't be able to stop it. I know Jin can look after himself when that day comes but I need you to be there to make him stronger no matter what. Jin will face many dangers in the future and I need you to help him face them no matter what. Love him and protect him, as a brother, as I have."

Himitsu looked off the ground and into Jun's eyes, she herself had started to tear up a little but she still held that radiant smile across her face. Himitsu nodded and Jun gave him a hug.

"Ms. Kazama?"

She broke the hug and looked at the boy, "Yes Himitsu?"

"If you want me to be a brother for Jin, can you be a mother to me?"

Tears fell down her face as Jun smiled even more, she reached up and kissed Himitsu on his forehead, "I would love to." She replied.

With that, the two of them walked into cottage, hand in hand. Himitsu put the money and the necklace in a safe place and decided to leave them there. He planned to use the money when needed and as for the necklace, He decided that one day he would give it to Jun, perhaps on a day where she would accept it.

The following day, Jin and Himitsu worked on the chores they had. Once they were done, Jin asked Himitsu what they would do next. Himitsu thought for a moment then said that they need to see their mother.

"Mama Kazama." Himitsu said the Jun who was in clearing she used to train.

"Yes boys, what is it?"

"Train us in your family's style of martial arts please."

Jun doubled-backed, "What? Why do you wish to learn?"

"So that one day, when the time comes, we can hope to defend ourselves against the many dangers of the future."

If what Jun had told Himitsu was true, if something evil was coming, then the two of them would do anything in their power to crush it and defend the one they loved more than anything; their goddess, their mother.

* * *

(whew, that's the longest chapter I've done to date, took me longer than expected and was one I feel is deeply important into the relationship that Himitsu has with the Kazamas, ultimately bringing them closer as a family. Next chapter is going to involve a different character entirely for the first time, I can't wait. I definitely had a lot of difficulty thinking about how I would attack this chapter; part of me wanted to split it into two or even three chapters but that would've droned on way too long and I instead was able to write up a cohesive chapter that had all the things I wanted. I'm definitely getting the hang of this, but for now I feel that the chapters will start to become more spaced out between updates. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed and if you have, please favourite and follow the story. I promise it only gets better for here!


	8. Lightening and Shadow

Chapter 8 – Lightening and Shadow

The Sun beams down on a jungle in the Amazon of Central America. It's a very humid day with insects out in full force and animals of the jungle cooling themselves under the shade of the thick trees. Further away in a large clearing is an excavation group; among them are many scientist and archaeologists and also a private security unit known worldwide as the Tekken Force. After a while a chopper can be heard from overhead and sure enough one flies over the trees of the Amazon and land in an allocated space. It is fully black and militarized with rocket pods and machine guns and on its side is an insignia which has a shield covered by a three stared shuriken and surrounded by two feathers; this is the unmistakeable insignia of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Once landed, the side door opens and 4 high-ranking Tekken Force soldiers quickly exit and stand by the door in two rows facing each other and stand to attention while saluting. Orders are yelled among the excavation group as the Tekken Force and other personnel start filing into lines. Finally, another figure from the chopper emerges, he is a hulking figure that everyone amongst the excavation team instantly recognise and they salute in response. He steps off the chopper and walks between the 6 Tekken Force soldiers and then stops and talk over his shoulder.

"Kuma!" his voice is deep and gruff.

At that time a brown bear with a red bandana around its neck was stepping off the chopper. It was already a towering figure standing on two feet and looked like it still had more growing to do. With a sense of intelligence, it looked towards its owner and master.

"Grr?" it growled in question.

"Stay in the chopper, you are not to step foot out here!" the man told him.

The bear named Kuma frowned, "Garrrr…" he said and stepped back into the chopper.

The hulking man then continued on with 4 of the 6 Tekken Force soldiers following behind and the remaining two staying at the chopper. The man wore white suede shoes and cream white dress pants, a white buttoned shirt, a black tie and an equally cream white vest over it; all were tailor made to perfectly fit his muscular physique. He also wore a magenta coat with white fur on its edges but chose to leave it in the chopper as it was hot outside. Finally, his hair was an iconic look; he was bald at the top but had long hair coming out the sides of his head and sticking up in an intimidating look, he had a macho moustache and stubble. His hair was predominantly grey on the sides but his moustache and stubble still had a brown colour to them. This man's name was Heihachi Mishima and he was the ruling CEO of the Mishima Financial Empire and head of the Mishima Zaibatsu.

While he was past his mid-60s, everyone who was anyone knew well that Mr. Mishima was an extraordinary fighter, with speed and strength that pushed the limit of the term "superhuman". He had won the 2nd King of Iron Fist Tournament over 10 years ago and took back control for the Mishima Zaibatsu from his own son Kazuya whom he had lost the company to after he was defeated by him in the 1st Tournament. With the Zaibatsu back in his possession, he went hard to work erasing the troubles that his son had caused when he was in charge. Improving the company's image in the public eye by cultivating wastelands and providing food for 3rd world countries. He also buffed up the Zaibatsu's private security and turned them into the powerful Tekken Force, using them to settle disputes that ranged from politics to espionage. In secret, Heihachi wanted nothing more than complete and total domination over the world. It was a dream that he wanted realised to the point of obsession and behind closed doors, crushed anyone who would threaten to stand in his way, even his own son who by his hands was stewing in an active volcano.

To Mr. Mishima, _Power Is Everything._

As he heads towards one of the main tents of the excavation site, Heihachi was followed by one of the lead scientists.

"Ah, Mr. Mishima-sama," the scientist bowed his head quickly, "It's fantastic to have you here."

"Hmpf." Is all Heihachi can muster as a response, the scientist continues.

"We have been trying to make progress into the ancient temple but we are unable to get any further inside."

"Remind me what happened to the initial search party." Mr. Mishima quipped.

"Oh, um as you are well aware Mr. Mishima-sama. The primary Tekken Force Unit sent to scout out the inside of the ruins were all found the following morning dead."

"What was the nature of their death?"

"From a quick autopsy we learned that they suffered massive trauma, internal bleeding, organ and nerve failure and even crushed bones."

"Any idea as to the cause?"

"Reports are sketchy but I and a majority of other personnel believe that no weapons were involved, they were however…beaten to death." The scientist then continued with a hint of fear, "What is most alarming is that several of the men…well…their hearts have been removed from their bodies. After they were dead…"

 _I guess it really is the Aztec God of Fighting._ Heihachi thought to himself, he then turned to the scientist for the first time, "Where are the bodies?"

"We have a spot for them, we're now awaiting your orders as to what to both with them."

"Take me to them." Heihachi said.

They and the 4 Tekken Force Soldiers walked through the excavation camp and reached an area about 100 metres away from the nearest tent. Here, there were white blankets pulled over about a dozen corpses. They were already starting to smell and everyone tried to handle the growing stench. Heihachi was not recoiling however, he took a knee and bowed his head in mourning. This was a sight rarely seen by anyone who knew Mr. Mishima as his heart was known to be cold, after all, would his son still live if it wasn't? However to Heihachi, he honoured the men that lay before him; they were well aware of the dangers of what they were getting into by scouting the temple nearby. In truth he cared for his soldiers, particularly those who followed their orders without question. He then stood up and addressed the lead scientist.

"I want these men taken back to their families in their respective home countries. I want their funeral services to be paid for and qualified morticians to make them presentable to their loved ones. Have this done at post haste, no questions."

The scientist nodded and then quickly bowed, "It will be done Mishima-sama."

The group then walked back to the camp with the scientist making arrangements for the corpses. Heihachi retired to an allotted tent for himself and took out a handkerchief and dabbed the sweat off his brow, he then reached into another pocket and held up a mysterious amulet that looked like it belonged to an ancient civilisation. He had taken this amulet off of a woman of Chinese descent who was also a Native American and it had led him to bring this research group to Central America to investigate an Aztec temple nearby and upon hearing of the soldier's death at the temple, he knew he was in the right place. Here, he was looking for an ancient sentient being known simply as Ogre and was here to capture the creature and harness its immense power for himself to make him literally unstoppable. He had used the amulet to resurrect Ogre and sent out teams across Central America to find the creature's location. And now, all he had to do was bring this amulet into the temple, unbound Ogre from the temple and capture it. Not wanting anymore time wasted he called for a soldier from outside his tent, a soldier entered, saluting.

"Yes Mr. Mishima, what are your orders?"

"Lieutenant," began Heihachi, "Assemble two dozen of our finest soldiers and have them stocked and prepared to infiltrate the temple. I will be accompanying you on this mission also."

"Yes sir, right away." The Lieutenant saluted again and exited the tent leaving Heihachi to stare into the amulet with greed.

 _Soon, your power will be mine, and I will rule this world like a God!_

In an hour's time, two dozen Tekken Force soldiers stood locked and loaded by the path through the jungle that lead to the Aztec temple. Heihachi walked with the lieutenant, passed them and watched the final mission briefing.

"Gentlemen," started the lieutenant, "You have been selected as the best men at this site to carry out our mission. That mission is to protect Mr. Mishima all costs as we journey to and enter the Aztec temple. Mr. Mishima deserves nothing less that your total, undying loyalty to lay down your lives for him if the need arises, do any of you think you do not have what it takes?"

"NO LIEUTENANT!" cried the response.

"Can I be rest assured that you all will carry out the operation to the highest of quality as your job demands?"

"YES LIEUTENANT!"

"Have I made a mistake in selecting any of you men before me?"

"NO LIEUTENANT!"

"Alright then, form convoy ranks and proceed!"

"YES LIEUTENANT!"

Heihachi and the soldiers went on their way with two columns of 6 men in front and behind Mr. Mishima and the lieutenant. They hiked through the jungle and in a matter of 20 minutes they had reached the temple. It was a glorious sight of ancient Aztec architecture; walled off from the surrounding Amazon, the temple stretched up at least 100 metres into the sky, was adorned with shrubbery and vines and looked as sturdy was the day it was completed. With caution, the soldiers ascended the stairs leading to the top and Heihachi took out the amulet once again and firmly gripped it in his hand. At the top they came to a sealed off door; a group of the soldiers got on each side and gradually pried the door open and a current of air flowed inside. The inside was pitch black so the soldiers broke out some glow sticks to light their way, they then entered.

The interior looked almost untouched; there was still colours of the walls which were filled with hieroglyphs, in the centre was a huge sacrificial altar and beyond it was a throne, although no one occupied it. Heihachi looked around him, eyeing any notable feature he could. He knew that Ogre was somewhere inside here and was taking his time to study him and his men, so far nothing out of the ordinary happened. Mr. Mishima then made his way to the altar and cleared away the dust on top, revealing an area where a circular item could be placed, just like Heihachi had been told. He smirked as he held out the amulet over the groove.

"Being of this ancient temple," Heihachi recited, "for millennia you have been kept in this chamber, locked off from the outside world. Today I release you from your bounds to this place, arise! Ogre!"

With that he stuck the amulet in and turned it like a key. A tremor could be felt underneath him as sounds transpired below the temple. Before long they died down and the temple sat in the silence once more. The Tekken soldiers looked around, a few asked one another what just happened, everyone seemed a little let down and Heihachi who at the turning of the amulet had a wicked smile across his face was now in a grumpy mood. He picked up the amulet off the altar and starred at it in disgust, he then threw it towards the throne.

"Worthless piece of junk, Lieutenant I want this temple illuminated immediately and excavation equipment brought to the site.

"…"

"Lieutenant!" he barked, he got no response.

"Where is the damn Lieutenant!?" he yelled at the soldiers.

The 2 dozen soldiers started looking around the dark area, "We don't know sir." Came a reply from one of the soldiers.

"Hey, what the?" another soldier said.

Everyone turned to his direction, he was wiping his hand over his visor, withdrawing it a faint smear of red remained, the soldier felt the substance in his fingers.

"It looks like blood." The soldier informed, at that moment a drop landed on his shoulder; it too was a deep red. The soldier and those closest to him looked up and they all gasped.

Heihachi then looked up also and saw what the soldiers were seeing. Up in the ceiling in pitch black were two glowing, red orbs looking down upon them. One of the soldiers held the flashlight of his gun upwards and revealed where the orbs originated from. The red orbs are glowing eyes; the eyes of a huge, green, humanoid wearing Aztec garments. He had long orange hair that flowed well past his waist and on his head was a crown. On one hand was a shield that looked like it had hieroglyphs carved into it and he held something small in his hand which appeared to be dripping something down to the floor. However, in his other hand, he held with ease a Tekken Force soldier who Heihachi recognised as the lieutenant, he was limp and unmoving and Heihachi realised what the being was holding in the other hand, it was the lieutenant's heart.

Quickly the soldiers all pointed their weapons up at the being, ready to pull their triggers, Heihachi made sure they wouldn't wait any longer.

"Open fire!" he ordered.

Shoots rang up into the ceiling but the green humanoid quickly dropped to the ground, dodging the bullets and crushing the soldier beneath him. He quickly turned to the closest soldier next to him and launched him straight into the wall with a Rising Kick. The bullets the soldiers were using were actually stun rounds which were meant to incapacitate the being but any bullets that hit him had no effect. The humanoid continued rushing through the soldiers with incredible speed, darting in and out of the lights flashing around it and crippling them with only a single, heavy attack. Before long, the Tekken Force soldiers lay on the temple floor either in intense pain, unconscious or downright dead. Heihachi brandished a revolver, this one with real ammunition and opened fire on the humanoid. These shots seemed to hit properly as the green being winced in reaction to the shots hitting its back. It quickly spun around and charged at Heihachi, using its shield to block the oncoming bullets and when in range it launched off the ground, flying into Heihachi and hitting him squarely in the chest with a flying Exploder kick. The force was so great that Heihachi himself was flung into a wall from the impact, the wall cracked where he landed.

The humanoid stood up and looked around at the carnage he ensued but then back at Mr. Mishima who was getting back to his feet. The being eyed at the old man with intrigue, finally someone had the power to take a hit from it and stand back up. Then Heihachi started laughing with glee, dusting himself off.

"GAHAHAHA, you know; this has been the first time in over a decade that someone was put me on my ass. I've missed this feeling, HAHAHAHA!"

Mr. Mishima then grasped his shirt and in a single move ripped it off, exposing his built chest and abs. A surge of golden lightening started the fizzle all over his body has he inhaled deeply and took his Mishima-style fighting stance.

"Looks like you found a worthy opponent, Ogre!"

The humanoid simply levitated over to Heihachi and stood in the spluttered light of the glow sticks scattered around the area. Heihachi moved into place and the two starred each other down menacingly. After a few seconds Mr. Mishima yelled a battle cry and charged, throwing a Heavy Power Punch at Ogre which was blocked with ease. Heihachi continued his assault with reckless abandon; throwing right left combos mixed with Demon Kicks and Demon Shouts, all successfully blocked by Ogre who was at this point studying his opponents moves.

"You're going to keep blocking now? That's fine, I'll just keep attacking then. I won't get tired! SOOOYAH!"

Heihachi jumped into the air and struck Ogre with two solid kicks called Hell Axle which staggered the humanoid and upon landing followed up with a Demon Slayer combo, with the final spinning fist breaking through Ogre's block, forcing him back a little. Now the green being decided to fight; it threw two twin Double Elbows and then a Rising Kick. Heihachi blocked the first two and then ducked under the kick and countered with his Tsunami kicks, catching Ogre with the first on his chest and the second in his face which forced it back more this time. Heihachi proceeded to close the distance with a Demon Scissors kick; the attack finally knocking Ogre off his feet.

"Not so tough are you? Pitiful!" gloated Heihachi after two got back to their feet. Ogre remained silent, "I haven't felt this good in years! But you're not doing me any favours by being so terrible, and they called you the God of Fighting!"

Heihachi launched into Ogre with a Jumping Mid Kick, once again blocked. He then followed up with an Electric Wind God Fist, which would break Ogre's block and transitioned into a Demon's Lair combo; the two heavy punches hit but as the third jumping mid kick came, Ogre would sidestep the move and hit Heihachi with a powerful low kick called an Azteca Shoot which caused Mr. Mishima to tumble in mid-air as his legs flew over his head. He tried to quickly recover but was hit by a Demon Slayer combo himself, Ogre had mimicked his own move. Heihachi would roll away and straighten himself, only for Ogre to quickly Shoulder Tackle him, causing Heihachi to tumble backwards. Heihachi would then get up in a rage, lightening surging all over him.

"RAAAAHH! Don't think you're winning now, you got a lucky break. Prepare yourself as I BREAK YOU!"

Heihachi charged back into the fray with Ogre doing the same and both did an overhead Split Kick at the same time, their legs clashing in the air and a vortex of wind expelled from the impact. From there, the fighters sidestepped and continued their epic fight, both fighters each taking a hit and lashing back for the counter. It would continue like this for another minute until Heihachi would use his Spinning Demon Kick technique and transition into a Dragon Uppercut, but as he launched his fist upwards, Ogre would simply absorb the force of the attack with his Ancient Power and follow up with a Power Punch that would send Heihachi into the sacrificial altar. As he tried to stand, Heihachi would be picked up by Ogre and Body Slammed into the altar, cracking it in two. The head of the Mishima Zaibatsu was in a daze as Ogre picked him up by the throat in victory. Heihachi could feel the red eyes of Ogre piercing into him, as if looking for something, suddenly the humanoid would toss the old man into the air, grabbed his ankle and start slamming him repeatedly into the stone floor like he was a rag doll. Finally, Ogre would spin Heihachi around in circles and then release causing Mr. Mishima to crash into the throne with thundering force.

The green being looked at what remained. The old man had given him a good show and even freed him, but he wasn't the right individual that Ogre needed. He strode towards the door and opened in with ease and then took off into the air. He had picked up a few moves off the man and felt like that was worth his trouble. He would now soar through the air and find other fighters of the same calibre as the man. While the man had the right blood, he lacked a certain something and Ogre would scour the planet until he found the right one, the right host. Millennia had gone by, but now was the time, the humanoid's plan for total annihilation for this planet was at land, he just had to set the stage.


	9. Undeserving

Chapter 9 – Undeserving

It was a cool, windy day in Yakushima and in the clearing she used as a training ground, Jun Kazama was standing a few metres away from her two boys; watching them spar. There were using the Kazama style Martial Arts which she had taught them and were both using their own favourites from the style. Jin and Himitsu were now 15 and 16 respectively, they both had developed quite the upper body over the past 5 years since they started training with their mother and both stood much taller than her as well with Jin at 5'9" and Himitsu at 5'11". They took to training with diligence and dedication as both were equal passionate about defending their mother and also trying to show superiority over the other sibling. While Himitsu had the apparent height advantage, Jin was still equally tough and it showed as sweat cascaded off their bodies as the two exchanged controlled blows. Jin was currently trying out his more "manly" variation of the White Heron Dance called the Three Ring Circus, with the combo's spinning heel knocking Himitsu to the ground. Jin grinned and advanced but Himitsu quickly used his variation of Jun's Violet move, which he dubbed the Satin Slice, that was a sweeping backhand chop to the legs, only this move had the power to knock their opponent off their feet. Jin got caught by it and flipped onto his back with his feet in the air, as he attempted to rise, Himitsu launched him with Double Lift Kicks and followed with a Demon Slayer, causing Jin to tumble in the air and crash onto his stomach.

"Boys, not so rough!" yelled Jun from the background.

Himitsu scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "Dammit, sorry Jin I got a little carried away there." He extended his hand down to his brother who smugly took it.

"It's ok, you got me good there." said Jin smirking, "Had you not sliced me I'd definitely be doing the same to you."

The two brothers chuckled and ended their sparring session there, tired but proud of their skills displayed. Jun threw them both a towel each to wipe the sweat off them.

"Alright you two, get to collecting some wood for the fire, it's meant to be a cold one tonight." She instructed the two teens, "And don't take wood from any of the trees I specified to you, I'll know if you cut corners."

"Yes mum." Came their reply.

The two brothers got changed and headed into the forest, Jin carried an axe while Himitsu brought his guitar. He had bought the guitar from the market a few years back, the vendor who owned it had it imported to him by mistake from the main island and didn't know what to do with it so Himitsu saw it as an opportunity to develop a new hobby and paid for it. He took everything related to the guitar that the vendor had; music books, extra strings, picks. Himitsu had become quite good at playing it as his life didn't have much distractions to pry him away from it, apart from training, meditation and his chores. He played a melody he had come up with while they walked, strumming the strings with his hand; he preferred finger-picking and had grown the nails on his right hand to make it easier. They came up to the trees that were okay to cut and Jin started swinging away, looking at Himitsu playing with a speck of annoyance.

"Are you gonna help me with any of this?" Jin asked.

"Hey I won our little sparring session so I think I deserve a little relaxation," answered Himitsu, "Besides, would you prefer to do that in silence while I waited my turn?"

"Look, as long as you carry some of the kindling back, I'm good."

"No problem."

The playing was certainly calming for Jin; he had once despised Himitsu's terrible playing but over time his skill with the guitar improved and he could finally play some interesting tunes, most of which he could do on the fly. It was definitely a change from the sounds of more traditional Japanese instruments like the Shamisen and the Biwa and was pleasant to hear. Jin continued cutting down some kindling and soon enough the two teens were hauling back some firewood as the temperate began to drop in the forest.

They made it back to the cottage were Jun was nearly finished preparing a hot pot for the three of them which had a combination of fish, vegetables and Crustacea. As she added the last ingredients to their dinner, Jin started loading up the kindling and got out some fire-starters while Himitsu took a seat and got back to playing. Soon enough, Jun called the boys to the dinner table and the three of them dug into their hot dish, warming their bodies on this windy night. Both Jin and Himitsu ate hearty and plentiful, going for seconds and not leaving a trace of the hot pot behind. After they had washed up and cleared the table, the three sat by the fireplace; Jun was knitting a black cowl, Jin was reading a travel brochure he had picked up a while back and Himitsu was once again playing his guitar. They sat in graceful silence as the sounds of the guitar strings and the fire's spitting rang into the air around them. Himitsu was playing a slow ballad had he had come up with which he called "The Winds that Bring You Home." Jun and Jin continued their knitting and reading while they listened to the beautiful tune with Jun at peace with her life at the moment. She was proud to have two wonderful boys; one born from her and the other welcomed into the family like he had been a part of it all along. Both were the perfect complement for each other and pushed their sibling to new heights, always encouraging the other to never give up. To Jun, this was the twilight of her life and she couldn't think of any place she'd rather be. She still had a part of her heart in a knot over Kazuya, the man that she somehow found love in, but the rest of her was devoted to her two boys as they continued to mature and proudly carry her teachings. Himitsu ended his tune and Jun put down her needles and gave a light applause, Jin looked up from the brochure and voiced his approval.

"Nice, nice tune Mits."

"That was beautiful." Said Jun, flashing her angelic smile, "You have such talent with that instrument, it amazing."

"Thank you mum." Himitsu said, tilting his head to hid his sheepishness, "It's a piece that I've been working on, I feel much better making my own than trying to copy other people's material. If feels like I perform better that way."

"It's probably because no one can say that you're doing it wrong if you play something you make-up." Quipped Jin, whose head was back to the brochure with a tiny smile out one corner.

"I guess so; the tune isn't perfect yet but I think it's coming along well."

"Do you have any other compositions?" asked Jun.

"Yeah sure, but they're not nearly as good. I couldn't possibly play them right now." Replied Himitsu.

"Sure you can, I'd love to hear some more, you barely ever play around us."

"Well that's because I used to suck at it."

"Who's to say you still don't?" Jin butted in and stifled a cackle.

"Piss off man!" snapped back Himitsu, "I don't see you getting the ladies."

"By ladies do you mean our mum? And furthermore didn't you write something for mum as well, how rich."

"Shut up! No, that's not what I'm saying! What I mean is…ah screw it."

Jin started to laugh from working his way into Himitsu's mind putting him on the spot. Jun defused the situation.

"That's enough Jin, not all of us can be a slob like you."

"A slob? Hey, my room is always the neatest out of the whole household!"

"That's not what I mean."

"Whatever." Jin buried his head back into the brochure, done with the conversation.

Jun turned back to Himitsu, "Please play something else darling."

"Oh, well…I'm not too sure…" Himitsu was thinking of a way to get out of this but suddenly an idea dawned on him, something that he wanted to do for years now could finally be realised, "Alright I'll play another song, in fact the song I had written for you. But I have to give you something afterwards okay?"

"Give me what exactly?"

"A present."

"Ohh? What kind of present?"

"I'm not telling you just yet, you gotta agree first."

"Well…alright, go ahead."

"Sweet, I'll be right back!"

Himitsu left the living room and headed to his own bedroom, Jin was right to say that he was the neat one of the house and Himitsu was anything but. Clothes and other items were either splayed across the floor or crudely stacked. Himitsu pushed his bed off the wall and removed a piece of wood on the floor; under it was the item he was looking for, buried under several stacks of yen. He took the item, stuffed it in his pocket and went back to the living room. He picked up his guitar and quickly tuned it while talking to Jun again.

"Ok now after the song I'll give you the present okay? And you have to accept it as well, no matter what."

Jun eyed him with concern, "Honey, what exactly is this present of yours?"

"Can't tell you, all you need to know is that it's very special."

"Very well then, what's the song called by the way?"

"Oh, um, it's called Cosmic Fairytale."

The snort could be heard from Jin as he contained his laughter.

"I SWEAR, I WILL PUT YOUR HEAD IN THE FIRE!" Himitsu snarled at is brother.

"Ok, ok, sorry." conceded Jin, feeling the eyes of his mother and adopted brother on him, they slowly turned back to one another.

"Go ahead." Jun encouraged.

Himitsu took a deep breath and closed his eyes while he slowly exhaled, re-composing himself and focusing his mind. He placed his left hand on the fretboard and his right hung over the sound hole, he breathed once more as he slowly started the ballad. It was slow and mysterious at first, dancing between low and high notes and switched between quiet fingering techniques and harsh strumming. A brief pause came and suddenly the tempo of the piece picked up as the fingering became louder and more constant. His right hand was in continuous motion, his thumb working the baseline of the first two strings and the rest of his fingers danced on the remaining 4. Jin had stopped reading and looked up at his brother, now transfixed in the piece itself while Jun herself couldn't blink, feeling like she would miss something to be seen rather than heard. At times along with the fingering, Himitsu would also slash at the strings through the composition, and the harsh sounds echoed through the room; it gave off a hint of pain and suffering behind it that could be read on Himitsu's face as he did so. Himitsu had never been into the traditional sounds of Japanese music and drew inspiration from cassettes and CDs of Mediterranean minstrels that he had picked up. He loved the mixture of passion and pain translated into their music and it moved him whenever he would listen to it. The song that he had written about Jun, conveyed all the emotions he had seen and read from her in the years he had known her. The song was filled with mysterious grace, wonder and joy; it also at times showed the signs of longing and an inner struggle as well as a suppressed feeling of terrible pain. Himitsu never understood the final emotion from Jun but had felt it was her in a lot of ways. Originally he had hoped to play this for her upcoming birthday and had composed this one in absolute seclusion, but he now had an opportunity to not only play this for her now, but to give her a present that had been hidden out of shame for a while and this time, he wouldn't take no for an answer. The piece played on for just over 10 minutes, ending with the some mystery of the start but ending on a bright note with a sense of hope.

Himitsu looked up at his family, Jin looked at him with admiration while Jun had a single tear coming out of one of her eyes.

"You're crying a bit there." Himitsu said bashfully.

"Just sad that it finished." Came Jun's reply, wiping the tear away and sniffing deeply through her nose.

"I'm happy that you liked it."

"I loved it."

"It was pretty good." Jin said, "Maybe I should take up a few lessons."

A cheeky grin went across Himitsu's face, "Well, I may not know a lot about the ladies, but I'm sure that they dig a guy who can play hahaha…oh wait, I almost forgot!"

Himitsu stood up and walked over to Jun.

"Ok mum, now for your present."

"Wasn't that a present enough?" asked Jun, referring to the composition.

"Hey, you're not getting out of this, now close your eyes."

"Goodness Himitsu, why?"

"Just do it!"

Seeing his impatience, Jun obliged and closed them, she felt him move behind her and one of her eyes opened a little.

"What are you doing back th-"

"Keep your eyes closed!"

Himitsu's head shot down to the open eye, causing her to jump. She closed both eyes again and waited. Shortly she saw a shadow cross over her eyes and then felt something latched onto her neck, it was a little cold on her skin and she shuddered a little. She then heard Himitsu's voice from in front of her.

"Ok, you can open them now."

Jun opened her eyes and looked to her two boys, Himitsu had a smile on his face and Jin's mouth was slightly apart. She looked down to her neck and saw an exquisite gold necklace, filled with little diamonds along it. She gasped at the sight and looked up at Himitsu in shock.

"Himitsu, where did you get this?"

"Somewhere a long time ago." He replied

"Himitsu." She paused at his name with her voice becoming stern, "How did you get this?"

"I got it a long time ago."

"This was stolen wasn't it?"

"…"

"Himitsu!"

"A long time ago, yes."

Jun scoffed at the answer, she couldn't believe that he had given her something that didn't belong to him, again. She started to remove it when Himitsu stopped her.

"NO, you can't take it off."

"Himitsu, I told you years ago I didn't want any of your stolen items! What did you think I was going to say seeing this?"

Himitsu remained calm, "I know but this is different, and you said you would accept the gift no matter what."

"Don't think I'm going to wear this just because you tricked me into it, this is stolen!

"Yes it's stolen! Ok fine, it's stolen! In fact, this is the most important and expensive item I've ever taken. Not only that, it nearly cost me up life on two separate occasions which was the night I had to take it back and then the night you found me!"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that this is the most precious treasure I have, it's been in my possession for nearly 10 years and I don't care what you or anyone else says, IT IS MINE NOW! Not the place it came from, not the people who stole it off me and not the gangster that took it from those people. It's mine mother and now I'm giving it to you."

"I will not accept this Himitsu."

"You must! For so many years you've done so much for me and Jin. You raised us with love and care, you gave me a family and you gave Jin a brother. You've been so selfless to the two of us and never have we been able to give anything back. You always refuse our attempts at generosity like it's a sin and I can't stand it anymore. You don't refuse our gifts because you feel that it's not necessary, you refuse them because you think you don't deserve them! I won't have it anymore mum, no way. That necklace belongs to you, and no one will ever be able to say otherwise, not even yourself."

"Himitsu-"

"Mum!" Jin piped in.

"..?"

"Mum, that necklace looks beautiful on you."

"Jin…"

"Please don't take it off, you don't know how much it suits you."

"I-I… boys I can't."

"I might not be able to give you such things right now mum, but I promise that there will come a time where I will give you the world. Because mum, no one deserves the world more than you. You've taught us so much and we are forever grateful for it and I can tell that Mits has his heart in the right place. We love you mum."

Jun felt cornered by the two teens and felt it best to concede at this time, "Ok, I'll wear it. For now, you get ready for bed, it's getting late."

The two boys went in silence to their rooms as Jun eyed the necklace; a part of her wanted nothing to do with it, no matter what Himitsu had said, what's stolen is stolen to her and yet another part of her couldn't help but marvel at how it shines in the dim firelight. She was at a crossroad at what she would do at this moment, he wanted the boys to be happy and yet she felt like throwing the necklace away somewhere; it reminded her too much of the past, it reminded her of him. Her thoughts started to trace back to the last time she saw Jin's father.

 _Jun had her bags packed; it was about 2 days after her loss to Heihachi Mishima and she had been cleared from the Zaibatsu's medical facility for the injuries she had sustained during the contest. Heihachi was too powerful a fighter and as much as she tried, she told no chance. Only 4 fighters remained including Mr. Mishima and the winner between them would face Kazuya Mishima at the end. Jun knew that this was ultimately what Kazuya wanted, he wanted to humiliate his father in the similar fashion he humiliated him in the first King of Iron Fist Tournament, but more importantly, he wanted to have his father killed. Kazuya had told Jun that it was in the Mishima blood for their family to fight one another and ultimately kill each other, but Jun didn't want anything to do with it. She thought Kazuya was different from his father, that he could be humble and caring, but this deadly feud with his own flesh and blood was just too much. Today she would be leaving Tokyo and leaving this tournament behind, along with the man she loved._

 _She looked into the mirror of her hotel room and sighed deeply, wishing that it wouldn't end this way. A knock then came from her door snapping out of her daydreaming._

" _Who is it?" she called to the door._

" _Jun, it's me." It was Kazuya's voice on the other side._

 _Her face scrunched up at the inevitable confrontation she hoped to avoid, but quickly went to the door and opened it. Kazuya stood in the doorway wearing a tight, grey business shirt and brown slacks, he had a sombre look on his sharp face but his hair stayed in its immaculate slick-back._

" _I'm sorry I didn't come by to see you sooner, business had picked up and I had increased my training for the comging fight." Kazuya told her._

" _Against your father?" Jun asked._

" _It seems so, yes."_

" _That's…good."_

 _Kazuya eyed out the luggage she had that was all packed with her belongings._

" _Jun, are you leaving?"_

" _...I…"_

" _Jun?"_

" _Y-yes, I am."_

" _The tournament isn't even over yet; I know you lost but that is no excuse to go."_

" _I'm not leaving because I lost Kazuya."_

" _Then why? Why go?" Kazuya's voice had a slight growl at the last syllable._

" _Because I refuse to see you and your father fight each other to the death!"_

" _What? I told you, we Mishimas have to fight, it's the curse of our damned blood._

" _Bullshit! What kind of stupid talk is that?"_

 _Kazuya was taken back, he had never heard this woman swear, especially in front of him. And as he looked in her eyes that glistened in the day light with little tears on the edges, he saw for the first time, pain and anger in her. She looked more hurt than when he visited her at the private medical facility a few days ago and Kazuya was at a loss for words why._

" _Jun, you wouldn't understand-"_

" _No I understand perfectly!" she shot back, "I thought you were different from your father, I thought you wanted to change the world for the better but all you want is power! Dammit Kazuya I gave myself to you fully! I love you! Don't you love me?"_

 _Kazuya's teeth started to clench as his anger seeped through, "I would never strive from my goals Jun, I will change this world for the better, whether it likes it or not! And dammit, I do love you! But I can never fall back on my emotions as my father will turn them against me and make me weak because if it. My father will not stop his warpath just because you say so, wake up Jun! The world is better off with him dead and the only one that can do that is me!"_

" _What, you or you and Devil?"_

 _Kazuya's eye twitched at the remark, this was a nerve he thought she'd never attack and he tried to remain composed, "Don't bring that into this, I told you I have it under control."_

" _No you don't Kazuya."_

" _Yes I do!"_

" _You don't!"_

" _I DO DAMMIT!"_

 _Kazuya violently leaned over Jun as he yelled, his muscular frame completely overshadowing her as he did, causing her to retreat slightly. Kazuya's head cocked sharply to the right and he grasped at his forehead, breathing deeply. He then ran his hand through his hair and regained composure, he knew he had over-stepped the line there. Jun huffed at him and turned to pick up her bags but Kazuya reach out and grabbed at her arm, not roughly but with a sense of need._

" _Please Jun," he said, "I need you here."_

" _I know you do Kazuya but I can't." she replied, "I refuse to fight in a losing battle such as this."_

" _Why? You're the only one I know that can suppress the Devil inside me."_

" _But that's not what you want is it?"_

" _What? Of course it is!"_

" _Don't lie to yourself. You're just like Heihachi; all you want is power and you'll use every outlet at your disposal in order to achieve it over the other and the includes the Devil. As for Heihachi, if we'll really use your weaknesses against you, well then I'm before off not here, I wouldn't want to distract you."_

 _Jun brushed his hand off and continued to leave the hotel room. As she went past the doorframe, Kazuya once again reached out for her, this time with a hand on her shoulder._

" _Jun, wait."_

 _His tone was more solemn his time and Jun turned to face him once more, this time he held a white jewellery box in his other hand._

" _I'm not marrying you Kazuya."_

 _He laughed at her briefly, "Don't worry, I'm not stupid."_

" _Then was it is?" she asked flatly._

 _Kazuya opened the box and pulled out a beautiful white gold bracelet. Like her eyes, it shone in the daylight. He then started to put it around her wrist and clamp it shut; it hung perfectly around her lower arm and she could help but admire it._

" _It's very beautiful." Jun said breathlessly, "But I can't accept it."_

" _I didn't think I'd be giving it to you on such bad terms, but it's yours regardless." He replied._

" _No Kazuya, it isn't right."_

" _But it is. Forgetting how you feel about me right now, I want you to have it. Let it remind you that there is a place in me that loves you, no matter what. And after this tournament, I will find you, and we can try to start over."_

" _That's just the thing Kazuya," Jun looked into Kazuya's eye with pity, "After this tournament I know that I'll never see you again."_

" _What? I'm never lose to my father, I won't!"_

" _No Kazuya, no matter the outcome, the only two that can win at the end of this tournament will either be Heihachi, or the Devil. But you will still lose, I'm sorry."_

 _For the last time, Jun turned and walked away from Kazuya. She hid the sound of her tears as she ducked around the corridor and made her way to the nearby elevator. She loved him dearly, but she knew, she simply knew that he would not survive. In the elevator she looked down upon the bracelet wanted desperately to chuck it away but refrained from doing so, I hurt too much to do it._


	10. The Forest Incident

Chapter 10 – The Forest Incident

It was pitch black outside when Jun's thoughts came back to the present, her eyes watching the embers of the fireplace dance and her hand on the necklace Himitsu had given her. She started to reach behind her neck and find the latch that held it together but then stopped and withdrew her hands thinking against it. She instead stood up and went to get some water to put out the fireplace.

All of a sudden a loud sound came for outside the cottage causing Jun to jump in fright; she turned her attention to a window and looked outside into the darkness. The area was in silence as she peered outside for any movement, her eyes then started to wander towards the door til another loud sound brought her eyes back to the window. It sounded like a tree being broken in two and just was sure as the first, the same sound came again and again. Each was closer than the first and Jun saw the branches of trees in the distance swaying frantically in apparent fear. Then the sound ended and silence reigned once more, Jun's eyes darted around, looking anywhere for the faintest sight of movement, her breath was shallow and her palms were clammy.

"Mum?"

Jun spun around quickly and saw Jin and Himitsu standing in the living room, her eyes were wide with fear and concern for them as they stood there.

"Mum, what is it? What's out there?" Jin asked in a hush.

"I don't know." Jun whispered.

She turned her gaze back out the window and what she saw made her gasp so deeply that both boys felt themselves go white with fear over what she could have seen. Outside, by the edge of the surrounding forest, stood the dark silhouette of a massive being. It was a hulking figure with two glowing red eyes, and they were looking straight at Jun. As she took a step backwards, her felt her boys edge closer to the window.

"NO!" she yelled at them, "STAY AWAY FROM THERE!"

"Who's out there?!" Himitsu demanded, but they got their answer immediately.

The wall next to the window violently broke apart was something crashed into it, the three inside ducked for cover from the impact and sprawled back to their feet and witnessed a horrifying sight. Through the hole in the wall a huge, green humanoid silently floated into the cottage. Its massive frame barely fit inside as his feet landed on the wooden floorboards, causing them to loudly creak from the weight. The figure was truly an ominous sight to behold as its neck craned above and looked down upon them with glowing red eyes; it was Ogre.

The three looked at the being before them; both Jin and Himitsu looked at the being with a mixture of fear and hate. They knew about their mother's premonition about a great evil that would find them one day and it didn't take a genius to figure out that this evil was now here, standing above them. Jun was silent as she looked up at this monster, a part of her wished that it was the Devil as she had fought it before to defend Jin and won. But this was not the Devil, it was evil that's for sure, but something entirely different.

All of a sudden, as if bored from all the standing around, Ogre's red eyes grew bright as his Ancient Power surged all around his body, the result was the fire of the fireplace exploding in a torrent, covering the room in flames and the three family members knocked to the floor once again. Jun turned to her children in distress and told them to get away.

"RUN BOYS, RUN!"

She quickly rose to her feet and charged at Ogre with a Mist Palm Thrust that was easily brushed off by the humanoid who chopped at her with a Deadly Slice, the impact broke Jun's guard and Ogre followed up with a Blazing Kick which knocked Jun through a fiery wall into the room behind.

"MOTHER!" Jin screamed in anger.

The raven-hair teen quickly crossed the room and attacked Ogre with a Jumping Side Kick but the attack was caught by Ogre who then flung Jin out of the hole he entered. Jin's body flew screaming, into the forest and collided harshly with a tree, the force knocking Jin out cold.

Ogre turned back and started walking towards the hole he kicked Jun into, only for Himitsu to block his path and assume a fighting stance like Jun's only with his right hand slightly raised to his face. His nostrils flared as he faced the colossal opponent. He was just as mad as Jin for what Ogre had just done to Jun but he wasn't going to blindly charge in like his brother and be rendered useless. The humanoid wasn't intimidated in the slightest and stepped forwards. Himitsu yelled a battle cry and attacked with a Jab Uppercut and followed with a Double Lift Kick, all once again brushed off by the humanoid who attacked with a Right Splits Kick which Himitsu dodged just in time and countered with a horizontal chop to Ogre's abdomen and then a Side Kick causing the humanoid to take a step back from the impact. Himitsu continued his assault with a Triple Spin Kick, which Ogre blocked and then turned the tables by grabbing his opponent and performing a Spin Behind Elbow Smash. The incredible force of Ogre's elbow blasted Himitsu through another wall and into Jin's bedroom and left Ogre on his own in the living room. The house was now burning and most of the rooms had been lit up in flames and smoke bellowed out of the openings.

Suddenly Jun Kazama leapt through the hole Ogre had made with her flung body earlier and launched into the humanoid with a Flying Spin Kick, knocking him down. As he regained his footing Jun attacked in a continuous White Heron Dance, transitioning between Leg Cutter combos and Swallow Mallets. The flurry of high and low strikes confused Ogre was he continued to stumble backwards and keep his guard up against the onslaught. Finally, Jun went back into her Leg Cutter combo and changed it into a Thunder Falls Kick, her feet just missing the ceiling, coming down and breaking the being's defensive stance. She capitalised with a Mist Palm Thrust that knocked Ogre through the front door and subsequently falling down the veranda's front steps. Jun exited the burning building still in her fighting stance and advanced towards the humanoid with his back on the ground. Then Ogre levitated off the floor and settled back on his feet a few metres away from Jun and once again used his Ancient Power, this time to charge himself and tense his body. About 50 metres away under a broken tree was the still unconscious Jin who showed no signs of regaining consciousness. And inside the Kazama cottage in Jin's room was a groggy Himitsu who rubbed his back in pain.

Jun at this point in time finally decided to talk to the humanoid, "Who are you and what do you want!?"

Ogre looked at Jun with an expressionless face, clearly not interested in trivial matters. Jun tried again.

"What has my family done to deserve this? What is this punishment for? TELL ME!"

Ogre still held his tongue and instead did something strange; he brought his thumb up to his neck and swiped it across in a throat slice gesture and then gave Jun the thumbs down. What perplexed Jun more than the humanoid's obvious no-care attitude was that this was a taunt made famous by a luchador wrestler known as King, a former King of Iron Fist contender. Did this being know King? Or was King just another victim? Like she was likely to become.

Ogre quickly advanced and burst into Jun with a Foot Bazooka that sent Jun backwards, even though she blocked it.

 _I've seen that move before!_ Jun's mind said in wake of the attack _, A kickboxer from the second Tournament did that!_

As she got up, Ogre charged at her again, this time performing a Spinning Slide Kick that took Jun off her feet and unto the floor once more.

 _That's Lee's move!_ She knew the attack all too well as well as its user.

She quickly rolled out of the way to get more distance but saw Ogre leap into the air and come down with force on her with a Blazing Double Knuckle, there was no surprise whose move that was. Luckily before the point of impact, Jun dodged the move and went on the counter offensive with a series of Twin Cloud Kicks and then a Moon Crest to launch Ogre into the air from down below. The attack was successful and Jun followed the aerial combo with a Whiplash and a Toe Kick the knock Ogre away. The green being had barely touched the floor before he correcting himself and stood once more. Jun rushed in and attempted to perform her Inner Strength move to stagger the brute, but Ogre knocked off the move and countered with an original move called the Huitzilopochtli which was a sweeping heel kick that knocked Jun to the floor. Blood came out of Jun's nose from the impact but continued on and successful recovered with a Dragon Wheel and followed with a Demon Slayer. This time, Ogre would rise to his feet on his own, slowly.

"Had enough have you?" taunted Jun, paying no mind to the blood on her face. The humanoid looked like it was listening as the corner of his mouth twitched.

Jun entered the fray again with a White Heron Combo but the Spinning Heel Kick was dodged as Ogre attacked in a crouching position with a Demented Snake combo. Jun couldn't even think of whose move that was as she yelled in pain from being launched by the third, deadly kick. She flew into the air and was then juggled by a combo of Infinite Kicks. The kicks continued to lift her into the air as they repeatedly struck out at her body. Then as a final kick launched her upwards, Ogre Shoulder Tackled the Kazama and blasted her into a tree. Bruises were now visible on her body as she stiffened from the impact, holding back a yelp of pain. Ogre relentlessly swooped in front of her and attacked with Serpent's Venom which violently grabbed at Jun neck and squeezed tight. Jun could feel her neck crushing in on itself as air was cut off. She thrashed around, kicking and clawing at the green being but it was all futile and slowly her consciousness started to fade.

"DDRAAAAAAHHH!"

The battle cry was heard as a flying kick collected Ogre's head and launched him sideways. Jun fell limp down the tree and saw Himitsu standing in the humanoid's place and knelt over her. He spoke words but nothing audible came to her. She mouthed out the words run away to him but he didn't budge, that was until Ogre came back into vision. He collected Himitsu around the throat in his Tezcatilipoca move, throwing the long haired teen into the ground with force. A cry could be heard from Himitsu but Jun couldn't find the strength to pick herself up as she instead focused on her breathing and tried to get her blood flowing once again.

Ogre strode over to Himitsu who was slowly getting to his feet and performed a brutal 3 punch manoeuvre called Tepeyollotl, bashing the teen aside. The humanoid leaped into the air and came down on Himitsu with a Blazing Double Knuckle. The ground around Himitsu cratered as the move hit him squarely in the chest, knocking the air out of him. The green being straightened up and turned back to Jun who still hadn't risen to her feet, but a call came from behind the brute, forcing him to turn back at the disturbance.

"HEY…..you, fucking…asshole..! You stay away from her!"

Himitsu would once again stagger to his feet, his jaw felt loose and his entire diaphragm felt busted as he sucked in as much air as possible.

"Don't you…DARE lay another hand on her…you hear me!?"

Ogre titled his head to the side in amazement at the teen's tenacity and didn't even bother to move as Himitsu burst off his mark and hit him squarely in the chest with a Superman Punch. Himitsu in blind fury followed with continuous rights and lefts, doing anything in his power to force the green being away from his mother. Finally tired of the fleeting attempt, Ogre grabbed both of Himitsu's hands and held him up, his red eyes piercing into Himitsu. The long haired teen wriggled around in hope of breaking free but it was useless. Ogre then slowly nodded at the teen as if in understanding, Himitsu didn't know what was going on inside this monster's mind. As for Ogre, he had finally found the perfect host, the being that he had long been searching for, his search was complete and now it was time to plant the seed.

Himitsu was tossed into the air and Ogre followed with a Hunting Hawk; three mid-air kicks with the third axe kick smashing the teen into the ground. With a Demon Scissors, Ogre flipped into Himitsu, a stifled cry escaped the long haired teen as the smothering pain filled every cavity of his body. He would be hoisted up once again and Ogre would continue the assault with a Chantico which body checked Himitsu into a tree with lightening velocity and with swinging punches called Muliphen, the teen was bashed further and further into the bark. In a final move, Ogre would cross his arms over his chest and performed a Muay Thai Killing Blow. The bone rattling force broke the tree straight down the middle, with Himitsu popping through the gap.

The smell of smoke was all over the place, the fire had burned through the cottage completely and was now spreading into the forest thanks to the wind. It wasn't cold under the inferno anymore and a mixture of blood and sweat dripped down Himitsu's body as he lay on the ground, somehow still conscious. He saw the terrifying being pull the tree apart in front of him and step through, once more heading towards the teen with the same expressionless look on his face. He was then easily picked up by the throat and suspended in mid-air and the humanoid held him at eye level. Then the green being reached around his back and brandished a stone-edged dagger, and Himitsu could only watch as the brute began to chant in an unknown dialect. Slowly it raised the dagger to Himitsu's temple and started to stick it deep into the flesh where his hair started, the teen winced in pain and his breathing became hoarse. Just as slowly but with a strong hand, the dagger slide down breaking the skin of Himitsu's face, it trailed down between the right eye and his nose, around the right side of his mouth and down past his chin. Blood churned out of the deep grotesque cut as the brute continued to chant, it put away the dagger and then swapped hands around Himitsu's throat with his now free hand hovering over teen's face. The chanting intensified and the long haired teen could feel the cut on his face begin to steam and illuminate, the free hand of the humanoid then turned down to face the cut with fingers mere inches away.

Himitsu had felt his body being bashed and bruised on numerous occasions and pain had become hereditary to him as a result, but what he felt next gave him a whole new definition for the word pain. Ogre plunged his hand into the open cut on Himitsu's face as if it had been put into a wormhole, it almost disappeared out of sight and light burst out. Himitsu screamed in pure, raw agony as the light shot out of his face and the burning sensation capitulated his entire being. Nothing before or after this experience mattered at the present time as complete, agonising pain took over all meaning of Himitsu's life in that one instant. The scream that Himitsu gave off was one that would make even the toughest stomachs gurgle at the sound, let alone the actual sight of what was taking place. His body was ridged and stiff as the whole experience continued for what felt like forever, blood continued to gush out of the wound on his face and his eyes rolled upwards as blood started to escape like tears from them as well. Blood poured out of the wounds on his body and even leaked out of his mouth. All the while, Ogre continued his chant and held the same emotionless stare into his victim, this was all part of the process; another spoke of the wheel in motion. It wasn't about the pain he was now inflicting; it was all about what he was giving Himitsu to hold for him. Regardless of the outcome, this body would hold and nurture this gift, and one day soon, Ogre would take it back, and then nothing would stop him; then the planet would be his to devour.

Ogre then withdrew his hand, the ritual complete and dropped Himitsu without a care into the ground. He looked down on the teen with his job complete, now he would have to wait.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Ogre spun around just in time as a leaping kick was blocked. Ogre looked at his opponent and saw Jun standing before him, she looked at the motionless body of her adopted child and spun at the humanoid in rage.

"YOU VILE BASTARD, I'LL KILL YOU!"

No expression changed over Ogre's face as he advanced at the woman, fire blew over the two as they resumed their fight. Jun retreated with every attack, using everything she had left in her as she lead Ogre away from the burning cottage and her children. Himitsu had his face turned towards the two while on the ground and as darkness clouded his vision he could just catch a few last glimpses of the duo trading blows further and further away, his mother at the edge of her physicality and the humanoid simply unrelenting. The red lights of the fire took over their figures as they increased their distance and then Himitsu's eyes closed fully. In the blackness a haze passed over him and started to descend, it had the colour of a cheap purple and evil cackling could be heard from it as it started to smother the lifeless teen. Suddenly the haze was blasted away, the laughter disappeared and was replaced by a dark slime that washed over the black, a dark and solitary voice would be the final thing heard.

"You…are…mine…"

The forest around the cottage continued to burn and only died off in the early hours of the morning, the sky was dark from all the smoke as glimpses of light tried to come in from the east. The area of last night's fire was grey and barren as life felt absent from the area. No birds sang and no critters could be found among the desolation, it was a depressing sight to witness. 50 metres from the burned down cottage, Jin Kazama stirred from his concussion, awoke by a pain in his left arm. As his eyes focused on the dead land around him the pain escalated, he winced in discomfort and held the area had felt burned. He looked upon his arm after the pain subsided and saw an intricate mark where the burn had been. It looked like a tattoo but felt more like a branding and visibly stuck out on Jin's arm. His attention snapped away from his arm as he remembered what had transpired last night.

"Oh no, mum! MUM! MUUUUUMMMMMM!"

Jin ran into the burned down house, around it and further outside; racing around to find Jun, wherever she may be. He was in a complete panic as his emotions gave way and reality set in; his mother was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. Thoughts clouded his mind as he continued in vain to find her in the burnt down forest; _useless, futile, stupid, disgrace, worthless, idiot._ He tripped and fell onto his knees, tears fell down his face and dripped off onto the charred ground as he wept in agony, slamming his fist into the dirt.

"NO, no, no, no, no no no NO NO NO NOOOO! MUM! NOOOO!"

Jin's body heaved uncontrollably in utter remorse, he felt so powerless remembering how he tried in vain to defend his mother and was easily brushed aside. He could have done so many things differently, but now there was no going back. Jun was gone, and there was nothing he could do to change that fact.

As Jin looked off the floor, he noticed something clumped in the desolate soil about 200 metres away, back near the cottage, something he had missed in his frantic search.

"Mum? MUM!"

Jin raced over to the figure on the ground, it was definitely a body, that much as for certain. He dropped beside it and brushed away fallen branches and dirt.

"Mum, are you-…Himitsu? Oh god…no..."

Under him was his adopted brother, his body was lifeless and pale, with blood all over his body, Himitsu's blood. His face was an absolute mess with a thick gash from the top of his head running down to his chin. He looked dead, at least he would be; somehow, someway, Jin was seeing him still sucking in air to his broken body.

Jin starred at his brother in deep worry, if this is what happened to this brother, and he was still here, what fate befell his mother? Then a voice jogged out of Jin's memory, the voice of his mother. She was telling Jin something a few years ago when he and Himitsu had started training under her, the memory was hazy at first but soon came back more vividly.

 _Darling, I want you to remember that if anything should happen to me, and you and your brother are left on your own; you must seek out your grandfather, Heihachi. He will be the only one who can help you, I promise._

Jin took a deep breath and wiped the tears off his face. He then picked up his brother off the ground and started to carry him off to Miyanoura so he could get medical attention. _He will live,_ he told himself in his head. Once that was out of the way, he would seek out his grandfather. It was no surprise who Heihachi was and it definitely wasn't going to be hard to find him. Jin knew that if anyone could turn him into a powerful fighter and avenge his mother, it was him. His face grew dark and solemn and he continued out of the burnt forest, with dark thoughts clouding his mind and the mark on his arm pulsating.

* * *

(chapter 10 completed, I've got to give myself a pat on the back for the effort. We've finally arrived at the Tekken 3 part of the story and I've got plenty of ideas on how to tackle it. The lead up to the third Iron Fist Tournament will be just as stretched out I assure anyone reading, and I'm definitely proud on how I've written it up so far. Still I want to hear your guy's opinion, give me a review I beg you! Btw I was going to elaborate in the last chapter but I never got around to it. Himitsu plays a guitar yes, I felt he needed a get up that would set him apart and I got the idea from all the guitar instrumentals I had been listening to by Estas Tonne while writing this story up. His music is divine and glorious and I urge anyone reading to give him a look up on youtube and just so there's no confusion; the songs talked about in the last chapter are written by Estas Tonne and are his property, but I'm sure that with a fan-fiction I will have no trouble saying that Himitsu had written those pieces. It does feel sort of strange that I'm saying that a supposedly Japanese teen has taken to the guitar so well that he can play pieces of such brilliance but this is Tekken afterall, you got intelligent bears, fighting kangaroos and raptors and not to mention, devil people running about. Why can't someone become a guitar prodigy in the span of 5 years I ask? Anyway, please favourite and follow this story if you like it, I would obviously appreciate it and I'll be back soon with a new chapter, enjoy!)


	11. My Father's Father

Chapter 11 – My Father's Father

A bulletproof, black stretch limousine pulled up outside the Mishima Zaibatsu Financial Operations Building in Kyoto, flanked up two armoured SUV's. The driver pulled up to the curb, quickly got out of the driver seat, paced around to the passenger's door at the back and opened it with a salute. Out stepped Heihachi Mishima, followed by Harada, one of the Zaibatsu's top advisors. Mr. Mishima had just left a meeting in Tokyo when he was alerted of a peculiar incident that happened at his Kyoto Branch that intrigued him enough to follow up on it. The two men entered the building with Tekken Force soldiers in tow, Harada would then instruct them to stay in the lobby of the building as he and Mr. Mishima made their way towards the executive elevator.

"Harada, what floor is he on?" inquired Heihachi with his gruff tone.

"Floor B7 Mishima-sama." Replied Harada

"Repeat the report to me."

"Very well sir, at precisely 1:24pm a young man standing at 5'9" entered this building. He talked to the reception and asked specifically to see you Mishima-sama."

"Hm!"

"H-he told reception after they instructed him of your absence from Kyoto that you were his biological grandson and demanded to see you at once."

"Ha!"

"Once again, reception denied him any emittance to speak with you while shadowed by a supervisor who calmly asked the young man to leave the premises. The young man started to become violent as security approached him and attacked. It took over 10 guards to finally apprehend the individual."

The two made it to the elevator and Harada pressed on the intercom for floor B7, the elevator started to descend underground.

"The individual is now in Interrogation room 4 and we're awaiting your orders now that you've taken the liberty to come here to see the young man for yourself. He's been here for over 2 hours now Mishima-sama."

Mr. Mishima laughed again, "WahahahaHA! Like hell I would have a grandson, but if he could handle 10 soldiers on his own he's going about it the right way."

Heihachi would never be caught dealing with such dismal cases that his company dealt with, but he had never heard of anyone claiming to be his grandson. Claiming to be a son, he'd expect, but not a grandson. Something about this sounded too good to be true and yet it intrigued the old man, now 69 years young. He didn't expect too much, just look at the boy and then have him thrown onto the street, nothing that the almighty businessman, Mr. Mishima, couldn't handle.

The elevator arrived at floor B7 and the two men strode out and into a white corridor with multiple steel doors stretching to the end. This building had two interrogation floors, B6 and B7 and didn't require anything special, the clean colours were enough. Outside room 4 were two Tekken Force soldiers standing guard, they eyed Mr. Mishima and saluted as he strutted past them and into the adjacent door. Inside was dark and quiet; another Tekken Force soldier was inside and also the building's head of security. On a wall was a two-way mirror which looked into a room where two more Tekken Force soldiers stood over a young teen with his head resting on a steel table, bolted into the floor. There were two chairs in the room with the teen occupying one of them.

The head of security bowed to Mr. Mishima while the soldier saluted, "Mr. Mishima-sama it's an honour to see you."

"That's the boy?" questioned Heihachi, ignoring pleasantries.

"Oh, yes sir. We await your orders on what to do with him."

Heihachi walked past the two men and gazed through the window at the young man while rubbing his chin in thought. He had originally expected the boy to have the look of his adopted son, Lee Chaolan, with wavy silver hair and a clean Chinese face and instantly dismiss his fool's errand, but that was not the case. The young man had his head down but Heihachi could still see the side of his profile; the teen looked about 16 and had a sharp, stern Japanese face like his own at a much earlier time, his hair seemed to part in two ways, one was the bangs of his fringe that went over his eyes and the other was the rest of his hair, jet black and slicked backwards almost naturally. The way his hair looked made Heihachi stare and ponder, _Strange, he looks a little like Kazuya from this angle, if it wasn't for the fringe._ It wasn't only his facial features that made Heihachi stop and think, for some reason while looking at his young teen, he could feel a connection; his blood seethed at the sight of the boy. This was too much for the old man, it seemed so unreal and impossible, but somehow he felt like he was looking at a younger version of his son. It seemed another Mishima lived after-all.

Heihachi turned to the three men behind him, "You are to leave this room and wait outside until I say so, and also cut the recording of the room. I'm going to speak to this boy."

Harada and the head of security looked like they were going to object, but quickly they held their tongue. It's better to just do as a Mishima says, than to even think of not doing so. The recording was cut and they left the room with Heihachi following behind.

 _Let's see if you're Kazuya's boy._

Jin sat quietly with his arms crossed on the steel table and his head resting above. He'd been here for God knows how long from the time he had entered this building and asked to see Heihachi. Now it seemed like he never would, these people would eventually drag him out and toss him on the sidewalk instead. He'd spent the last of the money he had on him to get here after leaving Himitsu in a hospital in Miyanoura and now he was stuck here in this room with two guards watching his every move from behind. The whole thing went out of control so quickly; when the supervisor had told him to leave after being told numerous times that he couldn't see Heihachi, Jin just flipped. It was a side of him that he had never known was there, anger and hatred, feelings that his mother… _mother…_ had no place in her heart for. Ever since he woke up in the burnt forest of Yakushima, he felt nothing but it; he wanted vengeance and he wanted it against that monster that attacked them.

The sounds of the steel door broke Jin out of his solace but he still didn't look up. A low gruff voice was heard from in front of him.

"Leave us at once, wait outside with the rest."

The guards moved and left the room, the steel door closed once more, then the man that entered took the seat opposite Jin and sat down but didn't say anything. The last guy to come in and talk to him didn't bother waiting for Jin to address him but went straight into questioning him without any intention of getting a respond, which he didn't. As for this man, it was obvious that he was going to sit there and wait for Jin to address him first. More importantly, something about this man made his heart beat a little faster and his blood swelled in his presence, like some sort of strange connection. Slowly Jin raised his head and looked at the visitor, he instantly recognised who it was after seeing the face on TVs and magazines; this was the Head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Heihachi Mishima.

"You're Heihachi Mishima aren't you?" Jin asked.

"Hmpf!" came the reply, the man's head lowered to meet the teen's gaze, "And you are?"

"Jin Kazama. Your… grandson."

"Hmm… Kazama, I've heard that man before, from one of the contestants of the second Tournament."

Jin sharply inhaled at the mention of his mother, any way of being reminded of her gave him a pain in this chest.

"Am I correct to imply that your mother has the name Jun?"

Jin's eyes shut tightly as he nodded, the pain in his chest panged again and Mr. Mishima noticed.

"I see. Where is she and why have you come?"

"…"

"Well? Out with it, I haven't got all day boy; I have an empire to run."

"S-she told me to find you if anything happened to her."

"HA! She wanted YOU to come find ME? We must not be speaking about the same person! Hm, I'll bite, what happened to the women? And speak up, if you are my grandson like you claim to be, you won't skim with the details, like a true Mishima!"

 _This man is cruel!_ Jin thought to himself, but he continued despite how much it hurt to say, "Two nights ago, something attacked us and knocked me unconscious. When I awoke, the forest we lived in was all burnt up and my mother…was gone."

Heihachi leaned in closer at this revelation, "What attacked you? What did it look like?"

"I… I don't exactly remember, it was huge and-"

"Did its eyes glow red? Aztec garments? Green skin perhaps?"

Jin stood up straighter at this, "Yes, yes it did! You know of this creature?"

A smirk went across Mr. Mishima's face as he stood up and paced around the Kazama, "The creature is an ancient Aztec being that was hailed as a god by the afore-mentioned ancient civilisation as their God of Fighting. It is known today, as Ogre. I myself had tried to capture it a few years back but unfortunately it escaped and since then has been attacking and killing renowned fighters all across the globe, several of those fighters had competed in the previous Tekken Tournaments my son-" his tongue curled at the word, "and I hosted. I'm sure I don't have to say this otherwise, but if your mother has disappeared it can only mean that Ogre has defeated her, and the Ogre has rarely left any survivors in its wake."

Jin started to weep silently at the words of Heihachi that hit him like knives, the head of the Zaibatsu saw this and cautiously placed a hand on the teen's shoulder. From this angle, the boy looked all too much like Kazuya to him that it freaked him out a bit.

"…I am sorry," he continued, "But this is something you will have to accept, your mother is gone and nothing can change that."

Heihachi then went back to his chair and sat down once more, waiting for Jin to compose himself before continuing, deciding to switch the subject.

"Do you know who your father is?"

A sniff came from Jin before answering, "Umm, not really. Whenever I would talk to my mother about him, she'd change the subject. But I know his name is Kazuya Mishima, she said as much."

"Hmm, I'm not surprised. And I can't blame her for the sake of the scandal."

"The what?" Jin asked with confusion.

"Nothing!" Heihachi sternly replied, "Don't ask stupid questions!"

"I didn't." Jin protested.

"Enough!"

"…"

"Now, sticking with your father, is there anything you know about him?"

"I've never seen him in my life, my mother told me he died before I was born."

"He did."

"Can I ask how?"

Heihachi paused for a moment, allowing himself to work out the right answer.

"Your father had dethroned me from this empire after the first Tekken Tournament. During his time as its new leader, an evil spirit had invaded and taken control of your father and made him do heinous things to the world, making many enemies. Your father chose against fighting off this spirit and instead decided to welcome it as a way to become more powerful. When he announced the second Tekken Tournament as a way to deal with his enemies in one go, I entered to take him down once and for all and to try saving his soul from that evil, known as the Devil Gene."

"Devil Gene?"

"It's nothing for you to concern yourself with if you have no idea what it is."

"Ok, what happened?"

"Well, what do you think!? I'm here aren't I?" Heihachi held out his hands as he gloated.

"I mean what happened to my father." Said Jin flatly.

"Hmpf! If you should know, after I defeated him, the evil had taken full control over his body had changed him into a monster." Heihachi explained, "The man that was once your father was dead and gone, replaced by the Devil. I had no chance but to defeat this foul creature and rid the world of his existence so he would never infect another soul."

Jin mulled over what he had just heard, _He's not only cruel, he's ruthless. His own son…_ he looked up at the old man, "Did you feel no regret over what you did?"

"Why would I? That THING was not my son anymore. We all have to make hard decisions boy; this empire is built on hard decisions that I had to make for it to become what it is now. Don't think you know better for you are too young to understand anyway."

Jin started to shake his head slightly.

"What, can't deal with the truth of your father?"

"No, it's just… I cannot begin to understand why that Ogre thing did what he did to my mother…and my brother…"

Heihachi got of his chair and leaned straight forward, "What?"

"..what?"

"Did you just say brother?"

"Yes, uhh well- I mean, he's my brother but he's technically adopted so-"

Heihachi slumped back into the chair like a weight had been lifted off and sighed deeply.

"I'm sorry? What is it?"

"Ahh, it's nothing. Hmm hmhm, hahaha." He started to chuckle, "I suppose your mother isn't a bad parent after-all, she has a bad choice in men, but I can relate to her parenting skills."

"What do you mean?" questioned Jin harshly.

"What I MEAN is that she found the perfect way to make you a stronger person, by having you compete against someone else. I did the same with Kazuya; adopted a strong boy, made them compete against one another, it pushed him to become more ruthless. Meanwhile that squirt is currently hiding somewhere from me, like a little girl HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"We didn't compete against one another!" argued Jin, stand off his chair for once.

"Really?" Heihachi relished the emotion that the teen was giving off, "You fought together or against one another at times?"

"We trained together, yes."

"Could he do anything you couldn't?"

"Well, he could play the guitar."

"A guitar? BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Heihachi slapped his knee in a hoot, "Well there you go! He was competing for your mother's affection from you and you didn't even know! Now sit down you fool! No one said you could stand."

Jin did as he was told and took his seat.

"Is he dead too?" Heihachi questioned.

"He, I-… no, I took him to a hospital in Miyanoura. He was badly hurt and unresponsive."

"Miyanoura huh? That's on the island of Yakushima I presume?"

"It is."

"Hmmm and how bad did you say he was?"

"He had blood all over him, and a huge cut all over his face, he wouldn't wake up no matter what I tried."

"And you're sure he's alive?"

"Yes."

"Even now?"

"Yes!"

Heihachi readjusted himself on his seat and went away from the current line of conversation, "Very well, now; I had asked you at the start what happened to your mother but I also asked you what are you doing here and more importantly, what do you come to me for. It's time to finish your answer."

"Well," began Jin, "I came here because my mother said to me-"

"I know what your mother told you already!" interrupted Mr. Mishima with a hand raised to Jin's face, "I want to know why YOU came here, what is it you want from me? I owe your mother nothing and if I want, I can have you dumped off somewhere and never have to see you again. So, you better have a good explanation as to why you are here and what you want from me, and trust me, I better like what I hear."

Jin understood what the old man was saying, at this point; his mother didn't matter to the conversation anymore and Jin knew that his answer had to be something that the head of the Zaibatsu would like and make use of. And the only thing Jin had on offer, was himself. But for what purpose? As his mind thought back to Ogre's attack, the answer slowly came to him.

"What I want; is for you to train me for the day that I can avenge my mother and kill Ogre. I want that monster dead, and I want to be the one to do it. I'll do whatever it takes, whatever you say, and you're the only person that I can turn to to make that happen. Mr. Mishima, my future is in your hands now, whether you like it or not. You're the only shot I have for vengeance and I will do everything I can to take it. I had always wondered what my purpose was while I lived with my mother way from the world, and now I know what is it. It's to rid the Earth of that evil and I know deep now that I can do it, I CAN. And you, are the only shot I have to making that a reality."

Heihachi leaned back on his chair and stroked his macho stashe in contemplation, Jin looked at him with fire in his eyes as every word rang true. Heihachi had hoped for an answer like this and wouldn't have accepted anything less. The boy had hatred in his heart and Heihachi knew he could manipulate it and turn this teen into a powerful weapon. This boy was strong and he didn't have to throw him off a cliff to make it so, the death of his mother had done that for him. To Heihachi, this young man could become a powerful tool in his empire, the ultimate pawn on the chess board and he was right when he said that only HE could make that a reality. The power that Ogre possessed that to be harnessed and perhaps his boy, a child of his powerful lineage, could help him achieve this goal.

"So," said Mr. Mishima, "You wish to become a Mishima to avenge your dear mother?"

Jin nodded in silence.

"…"

"…"

"Very well." Heihachi leaned back in, "I will take you under my care. I could tell you had the blood of a Mishima but I questioned where you wanted to direct it. Now that I know, I can say that you are certain of your future. And I will help you in your quest for vengeance, you have word, Kazama."

Heihachi reached out a hand to Jin to be shook, Jin did just that. Their grips were both tight and the two could feel lightening tingle at the touch of flesh. The broke off and resume sitting as Heihachi talked once more.

"Your brother, what is his name?"

"It's Himitsu."

"Himitsu, quite a strange name."

"What about it?" Jin asked.

Heihachi cracked his neck before he continued, "Nothing, but from what I know, the medical facilities in Yakushima are terrible to say the least, he definitely would not survive there. If you wish, I could have him taken to a medical facility under our payroll. They will look after him better there but that's up to you, what do you say?"

Jin was immediately going to say yes but it felt like his mind had put a halt on his mouth before he could. For some reason, he actually thought about whether he should refuse. He looked at Heihachi and saw a smirk on the old man's face, _Did he expect me to think about it?_ Jin thought to himself. That fact was he was ACTUALLY thinking about it was crazy enough, what if the old man was right and Himitsu had been trying to compete with Jin for his mother's affection this whole time? Did he really have to be moved to another hospital?

 _WHY AM I STILL THINKING ABOUT THIS!?_

"Yyyes." Came the slurred answer.

"Good, it will be done."

Jin was simply astounded by his inner conflict, what had made him want to reconsider? This wasn't like him at all and it scared the raven-haired teen, something had definitely changed in him and it wasn't exactly for the good either.

"Are you going to keep sitting there like a fool?" came Heihachi's low growl.

Jin looked up and saw Heihachi at the steel door looking right at him, he hadn't noticed him leaving at all. Jin got the cue and rose to his feet and walked over to his grandfather. The door opened and the two exited. This was a new chapter in Jin's life; from the day he had woken up to find his mother gone, he had become a new person. Jin was no longer the child that loved the peace and serenity of the forest, he was no longer the child who looked at his mother like she was an angel, he was no longer the boy running through the trees with his brother and shouting encouragement and banter to one another. That life was over, now he belonged to the man who was going to make him the real Jin Kazama. And this Jin Kazama had a thirst for revenge.


	12. Lessons Learned

Chapter 12 – Lessons to Learn

Jin couldn't stop staring out the window of the limo at everything, anything. He thought Kagoshima was a huge city until he saw Kyoto and now he was looking at Tokyo for the first time, this was just too much to process. Where did this city end? Lights flashed from everywhere as the nightlife drew Jin's attention to every corner of his window as they drove on by. They had been driving for well over two hours now but Jin had not grown tired in the slightest at what he was seeing. While Kagoshima looked quite dull and Kyoto had a mixture of old and new to it, Tokyo was like looking into the future to the raven-haired teen and he had lost track of the last time he had blinked. Sometimes he'd look into the limo and see Heihachi next to him on the far end looking straight forward and not impressed by anything outside and Harada would eye Jin from behind his dark circular glasses, watching intently. No one had talked for a while as there was nothing really to note at his point and Jin wasn't up for a talk about anything at the moment anyway. He just looked straight back out the window and absorbed the spectacular sights that he thought never existed.

After a while, the limo left the city limits and travelled onwards into the night and Jin's thoughts turned to his mother as he stared out into the darkness. He half-wished that the red eyes of Ogre would look out to him from the background, god how he missed her. He was very evasive on how much affection he showed his mother, he didn't show it all too often as he felt like it was already obvious and better left unsaid. With her gone; Jin felt lost and alone, despite the fortuitous situation he was in at the moment. He questioned how far he would go to getting his revenge, he knew it was worth it but still wondered what he would have to overcome on the way.

The limo had then pulled up to a fortified checkpoint with no other cars in sight, the driver waved papers at the guards who to no surprise were part of the Tekken Force and after a quick inspection were given the all clear to proceed. Jin turned to his grandfather and spoke after what seemed like an eternity.

"Where are we?"

"My estate." Mr. Mishima replied bluntly.

"Why the checkpoint?"

"The Mishima Zaibatsu can never be too careful." Harada chimed in, Heihachi narrowed his eyes at his advisor and Harada quickly looked off elsewhere.

"While I have done a great many things for this country, they still find it necessary to withhold my citizenship here." Heihachi explained, "Rather than being a victim of the Japanese government's shit policies, I decided to make my own, more proper legislation. And to make it take affect under my jurisdiction, I decided to allot myself a space where I can exercise these rules and regulations without the government telling me otherwise."

"What does that all mean?" Jin asked.

"It means that the land we're on right now is owned by the Zaibatsu or for a better word, owned by me. We are now officially off of Japanese soil and in MY country."

 _His own country,_ Jin thought to himself. He knew that the man was financially powerful, but not this powerful. To make a part of Japan your own country can't be no small task.

"What about the isles of Mishima?" Jin asked.

"What is the term you use for anything called Mishima, Harada?" Heihachi directed to his advisor.

"Copyrighted Mishima-sama." Came the answer.

"Hm! That's the one. Since it shares the family name, it falls directly under our jurisdiction also. Hell, even the city Mishima located near Fuji is mine because it shares my name. It's there that our family's temple is, yes…"

"And so are you gonna say, own all of Japan?" continued Jin, prompt a laugh from his grandfather.

"GAHAHahaha, my boy; why stop at Japan?" came the reply.

Jin sat again in silence, letting this information sink in. _Cruel, ruthless and now diabolical…_ It didn't take much to know that Heihachi's words weren't just playful jibs. No, this man did indeed want the world in his fingertips, as huge as the Mishima empire was today, there really wasn't much stopping him from declaring a war on a country like Japan and taking it for himself. This was definitely an ideal that Jin would have to watch out for from his grandfather and hope that he didn't become a statistic in all of it.

The limo had finally reached its destination as it pulled up to a gigantic mansion; it was lined in marble and had at least 7 floors to it. It was spaced out like an intricate complex of pure architectural genius and stunned Jin just as much as Tokyo had.

"This," stated Heihachi, "Is where you will live; you will have your own quarters, room to wander on the grounds and a dojo to train in."

The three got out the door which the drive held open as Heihachi continued speaking.

"You are not to wander off the grounds without notifying anyone of authority first. If you wish to go somewhere outside the checkpoint you need to again notify anyone of authority and someone will schedule a driver for you if the request is acceptable. Under no circumstances are you to bring anyone into the grounds without proper authorisation."

Heihachi turned to Jin at the top of the step leading to the massive, front door, "And finally, above all never enter my chambers. Are we clear boy?"

"Yes grandfather." Came a steady reply from the raven-haired teen.

"Mr. Mishima-sama, I will be retiring to my residence for the evening." Harada informed.

"Hmpf!" came the old man's standard response.

As the advisor left, Jin and Mr. Mishima entered the mansion, the door being held open to them by someone who looked like a butler. Inside, the foyer was enormous, the place looked vastly modern but with a hint of traditional Japanese features. The walls were covered in oriental murals, the floor had a sleek shine to it and didn't show a single irregularity. The stairs leading up to second floor was wide and glorious to behold as it came up the middle and broke off. The butler closed the door behind them and addressed Heihachi with a graceful bow.

"Welcome home sir."

"Is the boy's room ready?" asked Mr. Mishima, once again ignoring pleasantries.

"It has been done sir, the room has been refurnished for young master Mishima to your orders."

"Good, good. And as for our supper?"

"Hot and awaiting you now sir."

"Excellent." Mr. Mishima rubbed at his stomach in anticipation and addressed Jin, "You hungry boy?"

The question instantly kicked at Jin's empty stomach, he hadn't eaten for over a day now, using the yen he had left on transport rather than food. He had been doing wonders to take his mind off food but at the question he heard his stomach growl in joy. The sound made Jin's face go red.

"Yes, that would be great."

"Right this way sir." Coaxed the butler, Jin eagerly followed.

They walked down a huge corridor filled with memorabilia that seemed to have come in from around the world, like a private museum. There were marvellous white statues and sculptures, impressive looking suits of armour, there was even a gigantic stuffed bear near the end. Jin couldn't help but stop to look at it. It stood on it hind legs with its front paws at the side, leaning down slightly. Jin noticed a large red bandana wrapped around the neck and reached up to tug at it.

"Grrrrrrl…!"

To Jin's horror, the stuffed bear had looked straight down and right into Jin's eyes bearing his teeth. Jin yelped at the bear coming to life and in defence, launched a punch into the bear's stomach. The giant mammal recoiled from the punch and hit Jin on the chin with a rising Double Hammer, which knocked the raven-haired teen onto his back. The bear stood over Jin and roared until Heihachi marched over.

"KUMA! That's no way to treat our new guest!"

Heihachi reached up and roughly pulled Kuma's ear down to him to scold him further. The bear instantly retracted and had a look of worry. The bear started to growl apologetically, almost like it was saying sorry to Jin. Heihachi then released the bear's ear and slapped him over the head.

"Learn some manners! Your father may not have been as smart as you but he knew better than to attack guests in the mansion! Stupid!"

"…mmmrrrll…" came a sad reply as Kuma got on all fours and sauntered off in shame.

"What the hell was that?" said Jin standing up again.

"That, was Kuma…Jr." came Heihachi's reply.

"You have a pet bear?"

"Hmpf, what of it? My wife had a tiger as a pet so I think mine's a whole lot better. Enough playing around, it's time to eat!" Heihachi strode onwards.

"Would young master Mishima be needing an ice pack?" the butler asked Jin.

"Oh, no I'll be fine." Replied Jin meekly before turning to the butler properly, "I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"Aito, young master." Said the butler, "I've been caring for the Mishima estate for over 30 years now."

"Aito… ok, my name is Jin by the way."

"I'm aware, young master Mishima. I think it's wonderful that Mishima-sama actually has a grandchild and a potential heir if I do say so."

"Yeah…" said Jin as both he and Aito walked a few paces behind Heihachi at this point.

"I wish to also offer my sincerest condolences over the loss of your dear mother, although I did not meet her, I can see that she raised you with a lot of love. You should feel proud to have known her."

"Thank you."

"It's my pleasure young master. Please excuse me."

Aito rushed forward as Heihachi reached a large wooden door and quickly opened it for him to enter without breaking his stride. Inside was a huge rectangular dining table set for two people; Heihachi took the seat at the end and Jin took the remaining one. Aito went over to a loose swinging door and disappeared behind it. Jin could hear talk and movement from behind the door and then on the other side of the wall from where he entered, Aito held open another swinging door as kitchen hands briskly walked out, each with an assortment of Japanese cuisine in her hands. They laid the pots and plates onto the table, covering most of the area that Jin and Heihachi sat in front of. Jin looked over to his grandfather who was tucking a napkin under the collar of his silver business shirt and Jin decided to do the same as best he could with a V-neck shirt. Once plates and cutlery were put in front of the two, Mr. Mishima wasted no time in picking up a bunch of dishes, dumping them onto his plate and started to dig in. The raven-haired teen could only watch as Mr. Mishima tore into his food without a sense of etiquette, even using his hands at times.

With his mouth full, Heihachi looked to Jin's empty plate, "What for you waiting? Mmm, mmm, try the Nabemono."

Jin's eyes looked over to a hot pot and decided to dig in himself. Putting contents on his own plate, he slowly began to chow down. There was enough for two families here but both of them worked the entire course down til there was only a few morsels left on scattered plates. At the conclusion, Heihachi leaned back in his chair and stretched with a stifled yawn.

"Well, I can see that you certainly eat like a Mishima."

"Didn't know we were meant to eat like that." Jin said with sarcasm.

"When you're the most powerful man on the planet, you can eat however you like, boy."

"I guess," a yawn came from Jin as well, "Definitely will have to get used to that."

Heihachi took off his napkin and scrunched it onto his plate, "Aito, take the boy to his quarters."

"Yes Mishima-sama." Aito appeared over Jin's shoulder and gently helped lead him away.

"Hang on a moment." Came the voice of Mr. Mishima who had quickly risen to his feet also and walked over the Jin, "Hold out your hand, any one I don't care."

Jin raised his right hand to his grandfather who grabbed him by the wrist as a device appeared in his other hand. The device was pressed against Jin's middle finger and a sharp pinch was felt that made the teen jump.

"OWW, what the f-"

"Blood sample." Interrupted Heihachi.

"What for?!"

"To make double sure you're my grandson, and if you are, you have nothing to fear then. Now go!"

Jin felt Aito lead him out of the dining hall once again, he sucked on his finger as blood continued to trickle as they made their way up multiple stairs. They levelled off at the 4th floor and the butler lead Jin over to his room at the East wing of the mansion. Jin stepped inside and was taken back by how huge this room was; it was actually bigger than the cottage he used to live in. Aito pointed out several aspects of the room to the stunned Kazama.

"That door leads to a walk-in wardrobe which we're sure to have filled up with clothing of your choice eventually, that door leads to your bathroom. You have two plasma screens, one located over there by your personal lounge and the other is built into the bed. The drapes over there lead to the balcony with a view of the estate. Well, that's the tour. Will master Mishima be needing anything else?"

"…"

"Young master?"

"Umm, no I'm perfectly fine."

"Wonderful young master. There's a change of pyjamas on the bed ready for you, they'll fit, I assure you. Until the morning, have a present night's rest master Mishima."

Aito closed the door behind him and walked away leaving Jin on his own. There was just so much space in here, Jin felt completely out place by it. He walked over to the bed, took the pyjamas off it and got changed and walked over to the balcony. He stepped outside and looked out into the night sky and noticed that the stars were not as visible here as they were back in Yakushima. As he held onto the railing, his thoughts wandered to Himitsu and his mother; both seemed a universe away. He couldn't help but feel responsible to for that happened, so much it sickened him.

 _Why did I have to charge in like that? Why couldn't I just wake up instead of letting them suffer like that? What the fuck is it with me? I'm sorry mother, I wasn't able to save you… I could have, I WOULD HAVE!_ Jin felt so alone and depressed as he looked to the heavens, wanting more than anything in the world for his mother to be looking back at him. She had been a bastion for him and Himitsu, the both of them relied so much on her love and care and she'd never want anything in return. How could someone so kind-hearted and pure be lost to this world? Jin just couldn't understand what motive Ogre had, he cursed it to hell for what it had done.

He finally headed back inside his room and got into bed and tried to get some needed rest. When he couldn't, he noticed the TV remote on his bedside table; remembering what the butler had done him he pressed the on button and a plasma screen rose up from the foot of his bed. He watched a late night movie and once he could hardly keep his eyes open to watch, he switched off the TV and dozed off shortly after.

As Jin dreamed, he imagined himself in a strange place that was bright and full of vibrant colours. He walked ankle deep in crystal clear water with lily pads and lotus blossoms on the surface that didn't seem to stop anywhere. As he walked he saw a light come down from above and hover in front of him. The light started to grow and taken on a human shape, the figure was still shrouded in the brightness but seemed to be the shape of a woman with blond hair, a necklace crown and a loose white outfit. The woman smiled at Jin and held out her hand for him to take but just as they were about to touch; the sky around them began to darken and the flowers on the water shrivelled up. The woman began to be forced away from Jin and try as he might, he kept running on the spot as the woman moved further and further away until she seemed just as small as the light she began as. Jin called out to the woman to come back but no sound come out. Then the light vanished and was replaced to two glowing red eyes. _Ogre_ , Jin thought to himself. He began sprinting wildly, finally his legs found contact with the ground and started moving. But as he got close the red eyed figure changed, huge wings protruding out of its body and flew into Jin, knocking him down. Jin struggled underneath this monster but to no avail as it opened its mouth, baring gruesome fangs and lunged downwards into the Kazama. Everything went black around the raven-hair teen and suddenly a figure of the same shape as the winged creature appeared over him in a towering form. Words could then be heard and repeated over and over, making Jin spiral out of control:

" **Give in to the anger. Hate Me! Curse ME!"**

"!"

Jin shot up in bed, drenched in sweat. His hands were gripping the sheets in terror and the hair on his body stood up on end. Most importantly, the brand on his left arm burned with heat, making him muffle a pillow to hide his pain. _What the fuck was that? What is this thing?_ Questions soared over the teen's mind as he struggled to calm down. That was a nightmare unlike anything he had ever experienced, the words of the figure could almost still be heard ringing in his ears. It would be a while until he fell asleep once again.

"Rise and shine master Mishima." Came a calm voice.

Jin buried his head further into his pillow to drown out the sound of the butler, Aito, waking him up.

"You've had more than enough time to sleep-in young master, it is now 10 in the morning."

Aito walked over to the drapes covering the way to the balcony and pulled them wide open. Light burst into the room and hurt the Kazama's pupils causing a groan to escape.

"Go away." Said Jin with his head still in his pillow.

"I'm afraid I cannot young master," came Aito's reply as he waltzed back over to the raven-haired teen still in his bed, "Mishima-sama said that you should be up now and be ready for the day ahead."

Jin's face finally came out of his pillow, "Why, what are we doing?"

"Nothing at the moment, Mr. Mishima is already in Tokyo for a meeting with some international sponsors but will be here soon to pick you up. Until then I've been instructed to give you a proper tour of the estate."

Jin yawned as he sat up to stretch, his knuckles and back popping as he bent them, "Alright, I'm up, I'm up."

"Very good sir, please go into the bathroom and have a prompt shower to wash the sleep away. In the meanwhile, I will make up your bed and wait for you outside your room once you've finished up and gotten changed."

"Oh you don't need to make the bed fror me Aito, I can do that myself."

"I insist Master Mishima, it's what I'm here for. Do hurry up as we have plenty to see."

Jin walked away and headed into the bathroom for the first time. Inside was a long wash basin with deodorant, cologne and shaving products neatly compiled next to the rectangular mirror they sat next to. There was a bath-tub was spa features on it, nearby a large shower that Jin could lie straight down in and still fit and of course, a toilet. Jin wasted no time in stripping nude and hopping into the shower. He had rarely ever been in one as his main source of cleanliness in Yakushima was the nearby springs but still the Kazama had an idea of which knob was the hot water and which was the cold. He stood under the pressurised stream that covered him from shoulder to shoulder and felt his muscles loosen and relax. He found a bottle of shampoo and started lathering his hair with the apricot-scented hair wash and shortly afterwards rinsed it out. Jin decided against a body wash and ended the shower shortly afterwards, taking a towel to dry up his hair and another one for his body and wrapped it around his waist afterwards. He stood in front of the mirror and inspected himself. He definitely wasn't the same person from two days ago; his body language looked different and his face seemed lower than it used to be. He was at two minds as to who he hated more, Ogre, or himself. He saw a tub of hair product and used a small bit to give his hair a bit more lift than usual, he sprayed on some deodorant and exited the bathroom. Aito wasn't to be found and his bed was neatly done up, on top of it was a change of clothing which consisted of a dark red, button-up shirt, brown slacks and at the foot of the bed, some casual loafers. Jin started to get changed, the pants fit as well as the shoes but the shirt felt a little too tight around the neckline. Jin counteracted this by leaving the top three buttons undone; it exposed a bit of his upper chest but he didn't mind. With that, Jin gave a final look around the room and walked out.

"You're looking like a proper elite master Mishima… did the shirt not fit you properly?" said Aito who instantly noticed the buttons intentionally not done up.

"It was a little tight around my neck, it's not a problem though, now it feels fine." Jin replied courteously.

"Looks like we'll have to take a ride down to our official tailor to get you properly fitted, Mishima-sama is exactly the same I assure you. Now, let the tour commence, right this way master Mishima."

The two of them started walking around the mansion, covering every floor, apart from and around Heihachi's own chambers on the top floor. Jin was shown the mansion's indoor pool, the Mishima training dojo he would be spending a lot of time at, other guest rooms on the West Wing and the corporate ballroom they had on the ground floor. They then stepped into the back garden which felt more like a private forest than a garden itself. Exotic animals could be seen all over as they walked through, with Aito pointing out different species of trees and other flora they came across. After a while Jin turned to Aito.

"umm, sorry Aito. I've been enjoying the tour and all but would it be okay if I walk further up alone?"

"Oh, of course Master Mishima. Just don't stray too far and in an hour or so I believe Mr. Mishima will be on his way back home so be ready by then."

The butler gave a gracious bow and walked back to the mansion with Jin left alone once again. He continued on into the forest, taking notice of all the wildlife present; although once again it seemed like they were avoiding him as usual. If his mother were here they'd be all over her as always, her best quality apart from her smile has her connection to the forces of nature around her. Thinking of her once more gave Jin that pang in his chest but he didn't feel the urge to break down and cry. Apart from waking up in the forest and his first talk with his grandfather, his emotions had become more bottled up than ever before. He sat down underneath a Maple tree with his back against the bark and breathed deeply. He thought about the nightmare he had last night, it was unlike anything he has ever felt before; it felt more tormenting than terrifying and the words of the figure could still be remembered, _Give in to your anger. Hate Me! Curse ME!_ Thinking about it made the brand on his arm feel hot under his shirt. He hadn't really thought about it too much but it had increasingly come over this mind as to what exactly it was and why did he have it in the first place? What could it possibly represent and why did it burn after the dream? He tried to take his mind off it and think of something else, he realised that he didn't like how Aito kept referring to him as master "Mishima". He never identified himself as anything but as a Kazama like his mother. Jin Mishima just sounded wrong to him, he knew he'd have to talk about it to the butler eventually.

Before long a whirling sound could be picked up by Jin, and it was coming closer. He got up off the Maple tree and made his way back to the mansion and as he came up to it, a black chopper soared overhead and landed on a helipad of the mansion. Aito came out to the back garden and addressed Jin.

"Hurry along to the helipad master Mishima, Mishima-sama is waiting."

 _I'll talk to him about it next time._ Jin thought to himself as he hurried inside the mansion and double-timed it to the chopper. He made it and the door was opened to him by one of the Tekken Force soldiers to usher Jin inside. Sitting on his own in the chopper was his grandfather, Jin took and opposite seat.

"So where are we going?" asked Jin.

"To see your dear brother." Came the gruff tone of Mr. Mishima.

 _Himitsu…_ Jin's mind was in a sweep again, he wanted his grandfather to elaborate, "Where is he?"

"In a medical facility under the Mishima payroll, like I promised." Came Heihachi's reply, "He's in Kyoto right now."

The chopper was in the air now and Jin's knee had started to buckle.

"What are you worried about?" demanded Mr. Mishima, he was clearly watching for Jin's tells.

"Nothing." Came the short reply and Jin's eyes darted towards a window on the chopper and then back to his feet.

"You're kidding me…" nothing seemed to be lost to the head of the Zaibatsu, "You're afraid of flying? GAAAAHAHAHHAHAHA…!"

"I've never been in the air before okay?"

"And? You have no trust for the men who drive me around from place to place? You better get used to flying quick boy; because this is the only way to travel as a successful businessman!"

Jin kept his head down in silence.

"Oh I thought you should know, the boy's in a coma."

"Is it bad?"

"A coma would imply so, yes. I was also told that if he had stayed in Yakushima for another day he'd be dead. So you can thank me for my humble generosity once again. In fact, you haven't thanked me for anything as far as I'm concerned since I brought you into my home yesterday! Didn't your mother teach you how to express gratitude?"

The "mother" button made Jin look up at his grandfather with a cold stare. Heihachi simply looked back with a smug grin and his hands behind his head. He might be an old man, but he had an arrogant side. Jin felt it was better to just get it over with.

"I thank you Mr. Mishima, for your humble generosity to me and my brother in this dark time. I am ever grateful."

"Hmpf!"

Jin's eyes went to the floor again as they continued on in silence for the rest of the trip. About 30 mins later, the chopper had descended onto a hospital building in Kyoto and the two got out and were greeted by a female doctor who looked in her early thirties, she had a standard scrubs and doctor's coat on and wore her hair in a ponytail.

"Good afternoon Mr. Mishima." The doctor nodded her head in a bow, "And you are?"

"Jin Kazama."

"He's a member of the Mishima Family." Heihachi interjected, "And is here for the boy in question."

"I see, welcome Mr. M-…Kazama. My name is Doctor Hayley. Please follow me."

Heihachi and Jin followed the doctor from behind as they entered the building. It was very clean inside, much better than how the hospital in Yakushima looked when Jin had carried Himitsu in to be treated for his injuries. They walked through several wings of the hospital on their way to Himitsu, seeing multiple patients, both young and old, bed-ridden and weak. It wasn't a happy sight as they continued onward, Jin looked to Heihachi and saw his gaze was fixed on the doctor in front of them, more specifically on her ass. Not that Jin could complain about his grandfather's ogling, it was a pretty nice ass he had to admit. They had entered a new wing where the patients seemed to be locked away from visitor access, with only windows into their room to be used to look.

"Here we are." The doctor said, coming to a stop.

Jin looked into the window and saw Himitsu in the other room, it wasn't a pretty picture. While the blood that he was baptised in when Jin last saw him had been wiped away, all the welts and scars his brother had got from fighting Ogre could be seen in all its misery. Bandages and castes were all over crucial areas of his body, with his face completely covered. A breathing apparatus was sticking out of his head caste and a blood bag was hooked into his right arm.

"Why is his face all covered doctor?" question Mr. Mishima.

"Glad you asked." Replied Hayley and took a large envelop from a slip in the door. She pulled out an X-ray scan and held it to the window and shined a light at it to enhance the image, "Something cut into the face, starting from the cranium and working its way between the right eye and nose and then around the mouth and just under the chin. The cut went straight through the flesh of his face and even cut into the skull itself causing multiple fractures. Fortunately, we were able to operate on it overnight and mend any damage. However, the flesh wound itself is not healing back properly as far as other experts and I can interpret from the pigmentation of the wound. He'll probably be stuck with it for the rest of his life, if he wakes up that is."

The X-ray was put away to Jin's relief; his grandfather could only do his usual "hmpf" at the report of the head wound. The doctor turned back to the two.

"Need to know anything else?"

Jin spoke up, "What...exactly has happened to him? And what IS going to happen to him?"

"Straight to the prognosis? Alright then," began the doctor, "First of all it's not good on any level; he's suffered horrific trauma all over his body, multiple broken bones that may very well not properly heal even with a constant watch, he's suffered internal bleeding and developing blood clots all over the body as a result and his nervous system is currently fried. On all accounts, he should be dead. He was gonna die in that other hospital anyway due to their facilities not having the proper blood type available for him, which is a mutated strain of B- which wouldn't even accept O-. Over here we were lucky to have the very strain, but it isn't cheap to say the least. So let me repeat it again; this kid, SHOULD be dead. And now for what's going to happen to him. His comatose state is so deep from the damage he's taken that we estimate it to take years until he'll ever open his eyes, if he's lucky. And then there comes the road to rehabilitation which I assure you, is going to be long and strenuous. He'll be bed-ridden for several months before his systems can fully come back online, and that's pretty much it in a nutshell."

"Congratulations boy, you've inherited a vegetable, hahahaHAHAHAHAHA!" roared Heihachi, both Jin and Hayley looked at him in disgust as he calmed down, "Hmmm, so; what do you think should be done with the boy doctor?"

"I'm split down the middle on this one Mr. Mishima, my intuition tells me that it's all but a lost cause and the breathing machine should be switched off. Still, the fact that he still alive in the first place is reason enough to see this through, no matter how terrible it may end up."

"Well, luckily the choice isn't in your hands then. It's in yours, Kazama."

Heihachi looked over to Jin and spread that same smirk he had over his face when he had asked him if he would take Himitsu to a better hospital yesterday. Jin averted his eyes and looked back at his brother and then turned to the doctor.

"Can I go into the room please?"

"I…would rather you didn't it's currently a clean environment in-"

"If he's still alive, I don't think my mere presence is going to kill him!" Jin blurted out.

Heihachi took control at this point, "Let the boy in doctor, he got an important decision to make. And in the meantime I can speak to you on a few matters."

The last sentence sounded slight seductive out of Mr. Mishima's tongue, did doctor Hayley didn't notice, instead her took a roll of keys out of her coat and unlocked the door.

"As you wish." She said flatly.

Jin slowly walked in and towards his brother, the sound of the breathing tube could now be heard as air was artificially sucked in and out of Himitsu's body. The blood bag slowly seeped into the arm with blood bubbles present on the tube that was inserted. The heart-rate monitor kept a slow and monotone beep that seemed to keep the room in time. Jin stood over his brother and looked into what could only be seen of his face, which was his left eye; weakly shut and notably pale. Jin held the hand with the heart-rate monitor attached in his own and lightly squeezed. His kid had come to him and his mother in the same manner, crushed and broken. He eventually pulled through and became a brother to Jin, and Jin knew that he felt the exact same. Although not by blood, they were brothers and promised to always look out for one another. Jin simply couldn't let him go so easily, he had already lost his mother, why lose his brother also?

"I'll never give up on you Mits, because you'd do the same." He said out loud.

"I can see that." Came a familiar low voice from behind.

Jin turned slowly to see Heihachi in the room also.

"It seems you've made your decision." He continued.

"I have." Replied Jin, still holding onto his brother's hand.

Heihachi walked over to the other side of the hospital bed, "Good, good. But," he paused before continuing, "If I am to give the okay for this, and put my money into this boy's near impossible recovery; I need to ask you one simple question. And I might already know the answer to it."

Jin looked up at Heihachi's face; there was no smirk this time, he was completely serious with a granite expression. Jin felt himself gulp uncontrollably.

"On the night you and your family were attacked; your mother disappeared, most likely dead. You brother here is now a vegetable below you. But you, are perfectly fine. I want you to tell me why."

The room was silent apart from the beep of the heart-rate monitor, still in the same pace. As for Jin, his own was beating more than twice as fast while he stared straight at his grandfather. He dampened his dry lips and gave his answer.

"The night Ogre attacked, my mother tried to defend us, telling me and Himitsu to run away. She attacked him but was knocked aside and as a result, I charged blindly at him in a rage. He simply caught me and flung me outside in the forest where I collided with a tree and blacked out. When I awoke, it was all over. My mother was gone and Himitsu was like this. I failed to save them."

Heihachi looked at Jin with the same death stare for a while longer before opening his mouth, "Alright, he'll be taken care of. Let's go."

Heihachi walked out of the room to speak with Hayley again, Jin finally let go of Himitsu's hand, went to reach up to stoke his face but then thought against it and hurried out.

"Be sure to have the hospital send updates of any developments, and I will be calling you at another time myself. You're excused now, doctor."

"Very well Mr. Mishima."

Heihachi started walking back to the helipad with a small note tucked in his hand, on it was Hayley's personal phone number. Jin followed behind thinking about whether he would ever see his brother wake up again. He knew that Himitsu was tough and even with everything the doctor had said that went against a proper recovery, Jin still believed that he would pull through, he just had to.

As they neared the helipad, Heihachi spoke up, "I'm enrolling you into school."

Jin eyed him in confusion, "What? School?"

"Yes, you need it. You're going to be enrolled in the Mishima Polytechnical High School in Tokyo."

"Grandfather, I don't need to go to school, that's not why I'm here."

"You clearly have no proper education, it's appalling."

"I was home-schooled by my mother, just so you know."

"And look how that turned out, you're a foolish boy that needs an education under his belt."

"What I NEED," Jin's voice grew, "Is for you to train me to defeat Ogre, not put me through school!"

"Don't raise your voice at me boy; you are going to do as I say and that is final."

"I'm here to train, not school. School isn't going to help me defeat Ogre!

"If that's what you think, you'll never defeat him at all, even if you trained in the Mishima-ryu fighting style. If you're brain's mush Kazama, you'll never defeat any opponent!"

"Dammit grandfather I am NOT wasting my time in school!

"YES YOU ARE!"

"NO!"

Heihachi froze at the door of the chopper, his face was curled in rage. He had one foot inside at the moment but then stepped back out and told the pilot to wait. If there's one thing a Mishima hates more than anything, it's being told no. He closed the door and turned to Jin, bent over slightly and pointing directly at his forehead.

"Hit me."

"…what?"

"Hit me right here!"

"I-"

"Do it!"

"…"

"Prove to me you don't need school and punch me right here, as hard as you can!"

"Grandf-"

"The first one's free, come on! Be a man and hit me!"

"…"

"Do it boy!"

Heihachi's face was terrifying to the raven-haired teen and yet Jin could feel his fists start to clench.

"You don't need school? Then hit me and prove it, prove your brain isn't mush!"

"Stop it!"

"I'm not gonna stop til you hit me!" every step Heihachi took forwards caused Jin to take one back, "Come on! Hit me you little shit!"

"Enough!"

"HIT ME LIKE THAT OGRE HIT YOUR MOTHER!"

"AHHH!"

The "mother" button struck again as Jin launched a solid right, straight at Heihachi's head. The connection was clean as the sound of the impact ricocheted off the wall of the hospital. Heihachi opened his eyes, in the same position he was before and looked at Jin's fist, slowly come off his head shaking in pain.

"Ngg, GAAH!"

Mr. Mishima slowly came back to his original posture as Jin held his right hand like it was broken. It was like his grandfather's forehead was made out of Titanium, it didn't budge in the slightest and it felt like Jin's hand had just squished into it.

"Hmpf, SOOOOYAH!"

Heihachi collected Jin's chin with a God Fist, shooting him upwards as yellow lightening fizzled around the Head of the Zaibatsu's powerful right. Jin bobbed up and straight down and landed hard on his back against the asphalt.

"See what happens when your brain isn't mush? Now let me show you what happens when you use it correctly!"

Heihachi lifted his grandson off the ground and turned him towards the chopper. He reared his head back and lightly tossed Jin up to keep him suspended in mid-air. Then Heihachi's head roared into the Kazama's own as he performed his infamous Stonehead technique. The impact knocked Jin down and skid him just under the door to the chopper, his head started to bleed. As the raven-haired teen tried to raise himself back up, his grandfather pushed him back down with his foot.

"You think that training in a dojo is going to get you revenge against the God of Fighting? You need to broaden your mind and understand the art of War itself! The greatest fighters this world has ever known were masterful tacticians and military geniuses. Why do you think I can run this empire like I do and can defend it just as equally? Your lack of a battle strategy put your brother in this hospital and lead to your mother's death when IF you approached that fight with your head on straight, then maybe your mother would be here today and your brother wouldn't be stuck as a potato for the rest of his life! I know you feel the blame for what happened and you should feel ashamed, but if I saw you as only a dumb mule, grandson or not, you'd be out on the street and your brother would be dead! You have the potential to become the greatest fighter on the planet and that's because you carry in you the blood of a powerful dynasty. The Mishima bloodline is your life now and to become the man you want to be when you face Ogre one day, you will have to embrace it. And to do that, your mind must be equally as powerful as your body is; for when you put the two together you will be unstoppable! The past is done; your mother is dead and your brother is just as much, but now you have the opportunity to put away your old, meaningless life as a Kazama and become a Mishima! You said it yourself, you will do whatever it takes to reach your goal of defeating Ogre. Well, do exactly as I say, become a Mishima, and it will become a reality."

Heihachi took his foot off Jin and got into the chopper. Slowly Jin rose to his feet, dusted himself off and wiped the trail of blood off his forehead.

"I will do as you say grandfather," said Jin groggily as he took his seat, "But I will always be a Kazama at heart."

As the chopper took off Jin bowed his head for the long flight home, blood still trickled from the wound on his head and slowly dropped to the floor. A towel was throw at his face causing him to look up at his grandfather who was looking intently out the window. Jin dabbed at his wound and held it there, this time with his head looking up at the ceiling; right now, he didn't feel that scared of flying anymore.

* * *

(And just like that, we have a new leader as my longest chapter to date. This one took a bit longer to write and felt like the best one I've done. Really. I think I've really captured the character of Heihachi perfectly and also I've stuck gold with the change in Jin as well. I always thought that the fact that Jin awoke in the forest looking unscathed at the start of Tekken 3 meant that he was made pretty useless by Ogre rather quickly. And now I've developed it much better by having a comparison between him and Himitsu. Don't think I'm writing off Jin as shit, he's still the badass that's going to do all the badass things he did in the tekken games, only this time he has a brother to do it with, or against? We'll see. Anyway, if you're liking this fanfic so far you have to tell me know; follow and favourite, also give me a review of the chapters. Have a discussion, I welcome it. Enjoy!)


	13. Desire to Conform

(Hello, just giving fair warning of LEMONS in this chapter, nothing too major I assure you. I assure you that it goes along with the story in the most canon of fanfic ways, also we get a little more of Kuma in this chapter, wasn't exactly easy or fun to write his part, you'll understand why later. Enjoy!)

* * *

Chapter 13 – Desire to Conform

It was lunchtime and students busily moved in their little groups around Building A's cafeteria of the Mishima Polytechnical High school. The sounds of giggling and small talk filled the air as the student's got their bento trays and made their way to their seats for some lunch. One 5'10" student with spikey black hair and bangs on his fringe walked over to the table he'd named his for nearly 5 months now, unfortunately it was occupied by three males and one female student and that wasn't going to fly. He stood behind one of the men and cleared his throat, the teen with dark hair and brown coloured streaks turned to face the rude interruption.

"What do you want?"

"I want you all out of my table, now." Came the reply.

The dark haired teen stood up to the spikey haired student, "Oh yeah, and just what are you gonna do about it?"

"Bori-mo, we gotta move." His friend had turned as well, but the difference was that he knew exactly who this student was. He quickly picked up his tray and the other two had followed suit.

"Dude, what the fuck? Why are you moving?" questioned the student named Bori-mo.

"This is the owner of the school's grandson idiot! If you don't want to be expelled, or worse, then leave this table alone."

"I don't give a shit if he's the president! We had this table first and- HEY, WHAT THE HELL ASSHOLE?"

The student had taken Bori-mo's place at the table and pushed his bento aside to be replaced with his own. The other bento slide off the table and onto Bori-mo's feet. The dark haired student attempted to attack the spikey haired teen but was instantly held off and moved away by his other two friends, with their female companion walking off too while eyeing the other student with intrigue. The commotion had warranted the attention of nearby students but as the situation diffused, they turned back to their own tables and continued communing with their friends.

Jin watched as the student was pushed away from him as the four looked for a free table, he had eyed the female student also and watched as she nearly walked into a table, unable to turn away. He had a chuckle at the sight and turned back towards his food and ate in silence.

Despite his initial wishes; Jin had been attending this school for about 5 months and since day one had always sat at this one table, alone. No one seemed to have the guts to sit down with him, especially after a prior confrontation with a student who like Bori-mo, didn't want to move. After the easy knockout, everyone at the High School recognised exactly who Jin Kazama was and why it was wise not to mess with him. Still, there were always some people who hadn't got the memo yet, but it was only a matter of time before they all did. Jin liked to stay reclusive at school; no one here was worth his time, and furthermore, he didn't have the time in the first place to strike up boring conversations with anyone. What he cared about was attending his class, "broadening" his mind as his grandfather had eloquently put it and then continue his training back at the Mishima Estate.

It's not that he didn't want to have any friends here, the problem was that everyone here was so oblivious to themselves and their surroundings that Jin felt that they just couldn't be on the same wavelength with one another. The only people who Jin felt like he shared a real connection was his mother, his brother and until recently, his grandfather. Although Mr. Mishima was nothing like the previous two to Jin, he felt that there was a growing admiration between the two as time went on. Heihachi is without a doubt the most dangerous person Jin had ever known, apart from Ogre, and yet he could tell that as cold as his grandfather's heart was, Jin had found a small place in it. He was strict and harsh almost every time they were together but the time he took out of his day to check up on Jin with things like instructing him in the Mishima-ryu fighting style, his school work, even what Jin thought of some of the people at his school showed the raven-haired teen that the old man might be a father figure to Jin after all. But was it just because he was making up for not having something like that with his own son, or maybe there was another, more ulterior motive to the tough love he was getting.

The bell rang for the remaining periods to begin and Jin left his empty tray on the table and moved on as he now had a history lesson and finally political science to finish the day. Whenever in class he could tell that he was being watched by his classmates at several occasions; be it any males in his year who looked at him like he was part of the Yakuza or any girls who would whisper about him behind his back. It was a common formality now and Jin learnt to get used to it. Being Heihachi's grandson came with many privileges as well as the occasional trouble as well. History class focused on Feudal Japan while Political Science centred on Ethics and World Politics; subjects that Jin felt were put forth just for him, although it really was just coincidental. Mishima Polytechnical was after-all a school for the rich kids of business leaders of Japan and other global markets. It was a prestigious place for the so-called "future leaders" of the world. Here they learned not only how to run a company, but how to rule one. In Political Science Jin caught the girl from today's lunch incident looking at him on a couple more occasions, she was a beauty to behold, even as a 15 year old. Her hair was long and dyed a hot red, she didn't wear too much make-up so she had a natural look of perfection, also her school skirt seemed a bit higher than it really should be, exposing her creamy white thighs while she sat. Jin knew she was beautiful and he knew that she felt he same about him. Jin was perfectly aware that many of the girls in his year and even below saw him like a piece of arm candy; he was perfectly built with a sharp jawline, his appearance from his hair to his natural expression were always on point, and he was well aware that he had gained a bit of "bad boy" rep since he had started attending here. Still he felt that it may be best to avoid these types of relationships as they looked like they garnered more negatives than positives.

The final bell of the day rang and the class all rose from their seats and hurried out of the school in a rush. Jin walked out with his bag slung over one shoulder behind mostly everyone as to not be bustled around unnecessarily, he noticed the red haired beauty had walked up to him from behind but tried to pay her no mind.

"Hey Kazama!" she called, tugging at his arm and pulling him around to face her.

"Yes? And you are?" he really had no clue what her name was.

"It's Kiki smartass, listen, a couple friends of mine were going to over to the karaoke bars at Itabashi and we wanted you to come along. Whatta ya say?" she bit her lip slightly as she quickly eyed Jin up and down.

"That…sounds nice, but I have training later on at my estate so I can't."

"Ohh that's a shame. Well how about I come over to your…estate and watch you train?"

"Sorry, we uh… don't allow visitors."

Jin didn't waste any more time and headed off, leaving Kiki in a slanted posture, watching him go. He made it to the limo waiting for him and got in and told the driver to take him home.

Back at the Mishima Estate, Heihachi had left the Kyoto office a little earlier than usual and was currently in one of the guests rooms in the West wing, ploughing Doctor Hayley. He had given her a call during the day while he was feeling rather bored and decided to give her a brief tour of the guest bedrooms. This wasn't the first time he'd done this with her and it definitely wasn't the only person he'd been doing it with either for a number of times this month alone. Currently she was straddled on top of him with his powerful hands firmly gripping her ass and was rocking her back in forth with a passion. Her eyes were shut tight as the pain and pleasure of Mr. Mishima's rock-hard shaft went in and out of her like a piston.

 _Thank God for Viagra!_ He screamed in his head.

Her arms were behind her body, holding onto Heihachi's shins to steady herself as Mr. Mishima was leaning back with his head against the bed's headrest. Doctor Hayley's moan grew louder as she started to climax.

"oooohhhhhhhh, FUCK, FUCK! OH! …."

Heihachi sank his shaft completely in and held her in place as her juices oozed down onto his pubic hair. He then pulled her off him and flipped her onto her stomach with force, kept her face in the mattress and then lifted her ass up and inserted himself in her once more. He humped her with long, powerful strokes, relishing every sound that escaped her throat, be it a curse, his name or even her cursing his name. This was the type of thing that the Head of the Zaibatsu needed every once in a while nowadays. Even though chronologically he was on the verge of reaching his 70s, he had the physique of a bodybuilder who looked like he had just reached 40. He was never going to let his old age get in the way of who he was, and that was the most powerful man in the world. He is after, the King of the Iron Fist and he will do whatever he wants, whenever he wants to. If he can live his life everyday like he's in the prime of his existence, then he will and no one will say otherwise for that is what it means to him to be a man.

As the doctor picked up the volume in her moans, Heihachi finally felt himself going over the edge. And as Hayley came for the third time, so did he for the first. He threw his head up to the ceiling and roared with pleasure as his dominance was made. He didn't care if the whole mansion heard, what were they going to do? With a grin from ear to ear, he pulled out and peeled off the used condom and discarded it. Hayley lay at the front of the bed with her heavy breathing slowly returning to normal and Heihachi leaned back fully with his hands behind his head. He glanced at his watch to check the time and upon seeing it knew that it was time to pack things up, he reached over and slapped Hayley's ass to perk her up.

"Ah! Fuck You!" she yelled.

"Hmpf, I did, get up and get dressed. I need you to go now. The boy will be home soon for his training."

The doctor did as she was told and started to collect her clothing, she'd had an early mark herself and was in civilian clothing when Mr. Mishima gave her a call and now she was miles from her house, in a guest bedroom at the Mishima Estate. She didn't know what seemed to attract her to the old man, he seriously didn't act like one; in any way, shape or form. At the same time, she didn't act around him like most of his other subordinates would who always bowed around him and greeted him in a former manner. Sure, she called him Mr. Mishima as it felt appropriate, but not because she felt like giving him some sort of respect. Half of her hated the sight of him but another half felt a bit of the opposite. She thought that she might be having some daddy issues or something.

"Oh, I heard that the boy's brother doesn't need a breathing tube anymore." Said Heihachi, trying to strike up some small talk as he got dressed himself.

"It's true, we performed a Synth Rib Matrix to repair his rib cage and we also mended his ruptured diaphragm. Now his lungs are working more freely and don't need to be assisted."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing really, I'm not the one watching him 24/7 you know, so you're better off asking someone who has his chart on hand, like the hospital."

"Hmpf!"

When dressed and presentable they started making their way out of the room.

"I'm guessing that there's transportation for me to get home?" Hayley asked

"You know where it is then good, saves me the problem."

The woman scoffed at Heihachi, "Goes to show how much of a gentleman you are NOT."

Heihachi grabbed at her hair and tugged her close to him, she held back a cry of pain.

"Oh believe me I know," said Heihachi, whispering to her ear, "Because you like it, you like it when you're left degraded like a bitch. So that's why I do it."

He released her and walked off to the top floor, leaving Hayley to make her own way to the foyer. It was sort of true to the Doctor; in her profession, barely anyone knew anything she didn't and she was marvelled in the medical field for her brilliance. So it was a change of pace to be made into someone's call on the side. She fixed her hair and went on her way, not looking back with regret on anything.

"Pitiful, AGAIN!"

Jin was sucking in breaths by the gallon at this point.

"W-what? Again? I did it… p-perfectly."

His grandfather stood off to the side, he was wearing his usual black training Gi with the sleeves cut and a tiger face on the back. His arms were crossed as he eyed his grandson harshly.

"Perfectly? That kata lacked your very being, you have to put everything into it! Not only that but your movements were too erratic so it's no wonder why you're out of breath."

"Then how am I meant to do it then if you want me to put EVERYTHING into it?"

Jin was frustrated, it was like this almost all the time. His grandfather would find a fault in his technique and ridicule it to its grave. Nothing seemed good enough for the old man, but Jin knew that he couldn't talk. This man is Heihachi for a reason, he would have to continue trusting in him.

"I don't even have to show you!" answered Heihachi and then turned away from him, "Kuma!"

Kuma was in the training dojo with Jin and Heihachi as well, he was training on his own fighting style taught by Heihachi, the Kuma Skinken. He turned to his master with a happy expression.

"Rrrr?"

"Show Kazama how to perform a REAL kata, and you better not displease me also!"

"Grr Goooorrl!"

Kuma shot up straight and put a paw to his head in a salute to Mr. Mishima, he then hobbled over on two feet to the middle of the dojo and started to perform a kata of his own. Thought he may be over 7' tall, the brown bear could move his front paws with deadly accuracy as he strode around the centre of the room and executed his blocks and punches with clear purpose. Heihachi smirked at his pet and turned towards his grandson.

"You see? And I ask you, does he look exhausted in any way as he performs his kata?"

"I don't know, bears don't sweat." Came the smug reply.

"Oh a comedian huh? You listen good boy; the key to a perfect kata lies in the ability to feel empowerment at its conclusion, your blood heats up in the action and you leave it more focused than before. You have to imagine that with every strike and every guard that an enemy is attacking you from all angles. This enemy is numerous and unrelenting and you have to perform this kata with the intent of ending him in a single blow everytime. But you must have the same intensity from start to finish as this enemy will never quit and will never stop coming back. So if you are exhausted at its conclusion, will you be able to continue the fight? No! Learn to fight forever, and put that initiative in everything that you do. Because if you do, you will be unbeatable!"

Kuma ended his kata with a roar and looked to his master for approval of his skill, he was pretty pleased that he was being used to put the Kazama boy in his place.

"You can go back now." Heihachi said to his pet, causing Kuma to return to his part of the dojo.

"Look grandfather, I understand what you're saying. I know that your kata is meant to be a battle all in itself, it's just I cannot see how the movements I make matter. You want me to hit with endurance but that requires me to hold back, and then you want me to strike like every attack is my hardest, but that only uses up more energy. It's impossible for me to find a middle ground."

"Good, you're beginning to understand then."

"Understand what?" asked Jin.

"There are many ways to approach a fight; whether you rely on safe pokes to whittle down your opponent, whether you impose your will with strong launcher and follow with combo strings or you act on the counter with harsh punishers. You have to put these things together to become your own warrior Kazama. The katas you perform are the foundation for realising your battle strategy, that is why you must put everything into it, it is its own form of meditation. You already have an understanding of your Kihon, now you must develop an understanding of your Kata."

Jin decided it was best to just continue on, "Ok grandfather, I understand."

"You better, now that you've had your rest, again!"

Jin got back into position and started to perform his kata again, he moved along the centre of the room, keeping his form and striking with punches and kicks with deadly force. Heihachi watched again from a distance looking at his form at every step. He had begun to admire the boy's dedication, he had put effort into his studies at High School and he rarely ever went against his grandfather's word. Still, Mr. Mishima could see that he had a lot of pent up anger in him that seemed to be getting in the way at times where he could be doing a lot better. Heihachi would have to figure out a way to get through it in order for him to improve more.

Once training was over, Jin and Heihachi went to the dining hall for dinner. Aito greeted them and told them the meals for the evening and proceeded to enter the kitchen and have the kitchen hands come out with the dishes they had prepared. Once everything was set and a plates and cutlery were place in front of the two, both Heihachi and Jin dug in like bums at a free buffet. It didn't take long for the mountain of food in front of them to be reduced to a scrap heap and both men leaned back in their seats and stretched their stomachs out in delight.

"Anyway, how was your school?" said Heihachi, striking up a conversation.

"It was alright." Came Jin's reply.

"Have you been having anymore issues with any of the students?"

"I'm not a head-case grandfather, but there were some people sitting at my table who moved after I came over. Although one of them wanted to start something."

"Hmpf! And the result?"

"Nothing. His friends knew better and took him away. I don't even know why that girl was with them in the first place."

"Hm? Girl?" Heihachi's interest in the conversation had increased, "This is the first I've heard of you referring to one."

"Yeah so?"

"Nothing, just good to not hear about a boy from your school for a change. It was all you'd ever talk about that I thought you were a queer, HA!"

"Haha. Very funny." Said Jin dryly, "I'll let you know; she couldn't take her eyes off of me."

"And you noticed her as well. Indulge me boy."

"Well, she had red hair, probably dyed it, white skin, she also wore her skirt pretty high."

"Well, well, well. Sounds like you've taken an interest to this girl."

"Wah-na-…No I haven't! I'm not looking to be in a relationship with anyone!"

"Who said anything about being in a relationship Kazama?"

Jin looked at his grandfather in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"You see boy, just because you may take a fancy to some girl doesn't mean you have to get into a relationship with her. You remember that doctor from the hospital in Kyoto? The one who showed us the potato."

"His name is Himitsu!" Jin spat back, "And yes, I remember."

"Well what if I told you she was here today."

"And what would she be-…oh!" Jin's brain clicked as he put it together.

Heihachi roared at his grandson's revelation, "HAHAHAHAHA! You understand perfectly then, good!"

"Wait grandfather, are you telling me to…have sex with his girl?"

"I'm not saying anything!" boasted Mr. Mishima with a smug grin, "The least you should do is go out with the girl sometime, ask her out!"

"That's funny actually," Jin stated, "She kinda beat me to that."

"What? Bahaha-HA! And you refused?"

"I had training with you this afternoon."

"Then you schedule another date boy! I hope Mishima Polytechnical fixes your common sense Kazama, because you need it!"

"Shut up already, I'm excusing myself." Jin stood up to leave.

"Remember, you can't have anyone over here, that's the rule…!"

Not wanted to hear any more of his grandfather for the night, Jin left the hall and went into the backyard to be alone for a while. He sat on a stone bench at the edge of the backyard forest so he was still under the light of the mansion. He closed his eyes and started to breathe, thinking about what his grandfather was getting at.

 _He's saying I should fool around with women, like he does. Why would I do that for? What does he get out of it himself? Does it help me in any way? God damn he's insensitive, and on top of that, he called Himitsu a potato! Fuck him!_

As Jin opened his eyes he saw that something huge had occupied the remaining bit of the stone bench, Jin jumped a bit until he saw that it was just Kuma. The bear was looking down on the raven-haired teen for some reason and it was bothering Jin.

"What do you want?" Jin questioned.

"Nnngg grr grrral" came a reply from the bear.

"What? Look just piss off and leave me alone okay? I don't want to talk to anyone right now."

"Gah? Grrrrrrrrr..!" Kuma shoved Jin off the bench onto the floor.

Jin shot up in rage, "What the hell is wrong with you, you dumb animal!?"

Jin raised his fists at the Ursine which prompted Kuma to get off the bench himself and face the raven-haired teen. But instead of raising his own paws he sat on the floor and pointed at the floor in front for Jin to sit also. Reluctantly, Jin got on the floor himself and sat a few feet from Kuma.

"Gar gar, nnnrrl gr garrr?"

"Dammit Kuma, I don't understand you! Why would I speak bear?"

Kuma threw his hands up in defeat and then took a different approach. With the space in-between them, Kuma drew an arrow in the dirt towards Jin and then held his hands up in confusion.

"Gaar?"

Jin caught on a little, "Look it's nothing, it's just my grandfather being a royal asshole."

Kuma nodded in agreement and pointed to himself and drawing in a circle.

"Errrr err grrrl. Gar oorrr rah."

"You mean you as well?"

"Grrp grrp." Kuma nodded.

"Well how come?"

Kuma rubbed below his jaw as he thought of a way to explain to the Kazama and then began drawing in the dirt again. He drew an oval with two lines below and another two on both sides and then a circle on top of the oval with two lumps next to each other on one side of the circle. He then pointed at his drawing and then himself while turning his head to one side and opening his jaw.

"You mean that's you right?

"Grrp grrp." Kuma nodded again.

He then went back to drawing in the dirt again, drawing an identical figure to the one before but this time, made it bigger. He then pointed to the new drawing and then to the sky.

"Garrrrgrr."

"Umm… it's you bigger?"

Kuma shook his head in reply and then pointed at the first drawing and then to himself with one paw and with the other paw, pointed to the bigger drawing and to the sky once more. Jin thought about it again, surprised he was actually taking part in this charade.

"Your father maybe?"

"Roar! Grrp grrp." Came Kuma's reply with a nod.

Back to his drawing, Kuma drew a circle then then lines coming up and out of the circle on both sides repeatedly, Jin got this one quick.

"Grandfather yeah?"

"Grrp grrp." Came the affirmative.

Kuma then drew a heart shape between the figure of his dad and the drawing of Mr. Mishima and put a bracket around the two.

"You're saying that Heihachi loved your father." Jin said in more a statement than to answer the question.

Kuma nodded again. He then put is whole paw over the drawing of his dad and wiped it off and put little tears shapes on the Heihachi drawing.

"I get it."

Continuing on Kuma pointed to himself and then to Heihachi and then pointed to Heihachi and ran his claws across the dirt and over the drawing of himself.

"Garrr…."

"You wanted to comfort my grandfather after your dad died but he turned you away?"

Kuma nodded with his head tilted slightly as if to say "sort of".

"Well that sucks, I could tell that he's strict on you also but I didn't think it was because of your dad."

Kuma's armed dropped down his sides and lowered his head in apparent shame.

"Did…you know you mother?" asked Jin.

Kuma shook his head and raised his paws in vain ignorance.

"Oh. I guess then you're kind of like me but in another way; I never knew my dad and you never knew your mother. And we both lost our other parents recently and now we only have my grandfather as support."

Kuma nodded again, then his eyes perked up and I pointed at himself before pointed the sky and did the same to Jin by pointing to him and then the sky also. The finished off by holding paw out towards each other and pointed inwards, making them clash.

"Your father… and I'm guessing my father… fought?"

"Grrp grrp."

Kuma then wrote a number 1 next to the face of Heihachi.

"At the first Iron Fist?"

Kuma nodded once again.

"Small world I guess, actually, not really. I mean it was like my father and yours being like the kids of grandfather. Except grandfather liked your dad and…well…"

Kuma reached a paw out to Jin's shoulder in sympathy, Jin lightly brushed it off.

"It's okay, don't worry." Said Jin happily, "Hey I'm sorry I called you a dumb animal. You're probably the only person other than grandfather that I've talked with since my mother…"

Jin felt the pang hit again and decided to get up, he'd spent enough time outside in the evening as it was.

"Thanks for the talk Kuma." Said Jin as he walked away.

"Nrrrrgg!"

Kuma got up himself and walked back to the mansion also, he kinda liked the Kazama boy and it was kinda nice to make friends with him. The bear started to dance as he walked onwards, rolling his paws over each other as in happiness. Making friends was great!

The next day Jin was back in Building A's cafeteria for recess, as he walked over to his empty table he noticed Kiki some way away with some other girls. He stood still for a moment in contemplation and then decided to walk over to her.

"Um, Kiki."

The table went quiet as the girls, including Kiki turned and looked up at the raven-haired teen.

"Yes Kazama?" said Kiki.

"…um."

"What?"

"Look, if you want to… no wait, listen. Are you free at all this weekend?"

The girls at the table started gawking at one another in a flurry. Kiki slaps her hands on the table for her friends to calm down and then turned back to Jin.

"I don't know, I could be. Why?"

"Well, I..." Jin ran his hand through his hair in disinterest, "I was wondering if you want to go out somewhere."

Kiki looked Jin up and down in a flash like she did yesterday from continuing, "Well, I'm not sure if I'm free for the weekend right now, but I can probably get back to you later today about it, how does that sound?"

"Yeah," came a sparse reply, "Cool, uh yeah. Sweet. I… guess I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah, sure."

Jin slowly turned around and headed back to his still free table hearing the girls over his shoulder go into a frenzy with excitement for Kiki. Jin sat down on his own again, he didn't eat straight away and leaned against his hand on the table as he thought-over what he'd just done. Once again it felt like his grandfather had got under his skin and brought out something Jin didn't think he had in him.

 _Learn to fight forever and put that initiative into everything you do._

The words rang in his head causing Jin to smirk a little.

"Hmph, this better be worth my time."


	14. A Magical Boat Ride

Chapter 14 – A Magical Boat Ride

 _Bright-lights, rainbows, loop-de-loops; it just went on forever. The jet shuttle would rocket along the track with blazing speed as the lights would pass by in a trance. The sounds of joy and wonder filled the air as they would take the final, huge climb up to the highest part of the ride. Clouds seemed to float underneath as the jet shuttle reached the peak, and then came the thrilling drop. The ride roars down the track, screams and laughter are at maximum as they continuously go up and down and then around in tight spirals. This was the greatest roller coaster ride of all time!_

"Wake up Xiaoyu, you've overslept!"

A young girl of 15 years jolted awake at the disturbance that robbed her of her dream. She rubbed her eyes disoriented and poked her head up off the bed two see her mother with an angry expression on her face.

"Did you hear me Xiaoyu? You've slept-in! Now we're going to miss the tour bus because of you, you should have been up an hour ago!"

"An hour ago?" The girl called Xiaoyu looked over to the radio clock on the bedside table and saw that it was now 10:20. A tiny scream whizzed out of her mouth at the sight, "Oh no, mama I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll get ready right now!"

Xiaoyu leapt off the bed and ran into the bathroom shower. She quickly washed herself over in under 2 minutes and bolted out with haste. She furiously rubbed herself dry and picked up a nearby brush to straight out her hair and help it dry faster. She brushed into her knots and pulled them apart, not caring about the pain of it all. Then she ran out the bathroom and went to her luggage bag, pulling out something to wear.

Her mother was in another room having a cup of tea, "I don't know why you had to insist on coming here when I told you this was an important trip for me and your father. You would have been better off with grandpa Jinrei as always. You always spend more time with him than you do with us anyway, so why did you want to come to Shanghai for in the first place?"

As her mother nagged on, Xiaoyu had put on her clothes and was now fixing her hair into two high, pig tails. She wore a pink Cheongsam that flower petal patterns and matching pink shoes with pink cream, knee high silk socks and finally her pig tails had pink, glowing headbands holding her hair in place. She rushed out of her room and jumped in front of her mother who had just finished her tea and also her quick rant.

"Ok mama, I'm ready now! Let's go, let's go."

Her mother sighed, "Oh Xiaoyu, you are such a trouble… very well, your father should be waiting in the lobby."

The two left their hotel room and made their way to the elevator to get to the ground floor. Xiaoyu and her parents had come to Shanghai for a little vacation away from Zhengzhou, although originally it was going to be only Xiaoyu's parents making the trip to the coastal city of China. Xiaoyu had luckily been able to convince her parents to bring her along; she wanted desperately to go to Happy Valley Shanghai, a new exciting amusement park full of roller coasters. Her parents had said to her that they would be able to go if she could behave herself, and yet they had already been here 5 days and today would be the last day for the vacation. Still Xiaoyu was adamant that they had saved this day for her; there was nothing the girl loved more than amusement parks, especially roller coaster rides. She would dream of them on a regular basis, like the dream she had had earlier. Her goal was to one day create the best amusement park in the world with the greatest roller coaster ride of all time and just thinking about it put butterflies in their stomach.

On the ground floor, Xiaoyu saw her father lounging on one of the sofas with an impatient expression, she skipped towards him.

"Morning papa, we're ready to go."

"About time hon, what was the hold-up?" the question was directed to Xiaoyu's mother.

"Our daughter was still sleeping when I entered our room." She replied dryly.

"What? Xiaoyu, I told you that you had to be up by at least 10am if you want us to get to all the places on time."

"We didn't miss the bus did we?"

"No hon, but it's due to leave in…two minutes, let's hurry along."

The three started to walk out of the hotel towards the tour bus. Xiaoyu tugged at her father's shirt to get his attention.

"Papa? Papa? Are we finally going to Happy Valley today?"

"We'll see Xiaoyu." Came his blunt reply, "We still have a lot to see today so don't hold me to anything."

"But papa you did promise me!"

"Yes Xiaoyu but it will depend on how quickly the day goes."

The Ling family climbed into the tour bus and went on their way, Xiaoyu had the window seat and peered out the window, looking at everything that caught her eye. The streets were full of people everywhere, all hurrying along about their business. The city was so elegant and amazing to look at, much more exciting than how bland and basic Zhengzhou was. Looking up, the pig-tailed girl saw a huge billboard with a tall muscular man wearing a business suit with a macho moustache and spiked hair coming out of the side of his head. The sign had today's date and read: "Mr. Mishima of the Mishima Zaibatsu to be present at the opening of his new Shanghai branch Financial Building."

 _Wow, Mr. Mishima is in Shanghai as well?_ Thought Xiaoyu to herself. She knew who the man was; as Head of the Mishima Zaibatsu it was almost like a household name to everyone west of the international date line. And now that he's here, there's definitely going to be a lot of people in the city today. Traffic was horrendous to say the least but the bus continued along, it was definitely going to be a long day.

Off the coast of Shanghai was Mishima's private yacht, which was currently awaiting clearance to dock in the harbour. This was a common formality as the huge boat's VIP was technically not a citizen of his native country, a chopper on the boat would be flown beforehand to help settle any documents that would take too long to process once docked. Security on the boat was in full effect as they patrolled at multiple levels of the yacht, giving standard all-clears whenever necessary.

In his quarters, with the room dim, Heihachi sat behind a large red mahogany wood desk as he waited for his documentation to be processed on the mainland. He had his head looking at to the ceiling with a calm expression across his face. Usually during these times of waiting the old man would be tense and impatient for it all to be over with; but with a mistress currently below the desk and working hard on his member, Mr. Mishima was in no rush for the time being. He was taking being the age of 70 pretty well and having this woman picked up from China in advance had been a good idea on his part, now he had something to keep him happy and occupied while everything gradually went his way.

Suddenly on the large desk, a call came in from his laptop. He lowered his face to look at the screen and positioned himself to take the video call from a presentable view. The mistress below him had started to withdraw from his penis as Heihachi's hand came down and pushed her back in.

"No, no, no; you keep on going." He told her.

Heihachi accepted the call and Harada's face came up on the screen. He was holding a phone to his face and from behind him Mr. Mishima could see that he was currently in an office of customs and border relations.

"Mr. Mishima-sama, your forms are moments away from being approved. We'll be sending word to the captain to begin docking outside Sanzao Port."

"Hmpf! Good." Heihchi's face would slightly move back and forth from the mistress' work below the camera but Harada didn't take notice.

"The opening ceremony will be in 3 hours and a gala with be held in your honour at 5pm this evening. Should you wish afterwards we can have you flown back to port or you can leave the following day at your leisure."

"Do I even have to attend the opening? Sounds too drawl."

"You've already been advertised to attend the opening Mishima-sama, it could hurt your public image to back out now."

Heihachi groaned, half from hearing this and half as a vent of pleasure for the other activity going on at the moment, "Fine…but I will not take any questions while I'm out there."

"Understood sir, we'll see you shortly."

The call ended and Heihachi was left back to his inner thoughts, he was taking the final steps to properly expanding into China. He already had branches in Hong Kong and Beijing and now would be planting his flag in the financial hub of the People's Republic. From this day forth, China would be in the palm of his hand. This was what the Head of the Zaibatsu wanted above all, control without the flexing of his force. Taking over and crippling the financial infrastructure of neighbouring countries as been his action plan for a while, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines were eating out of his hand now and China was at the final hurdle of doing so as well. While North Korea were stubborn with their current dictatorship, they soon wouldn't be a problem once the rest of the Asian conglomerate fell in line. Heihachi started to feel a decrease in friction below which snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Don't you slow down, you're not finished!" he spat at her, "Th-there you go…"

Back in Japan at the Mishima estate, Jin was leaning on the railing of his balcony, watching the Sun rise to a clear blue sky with no clouds overhead, it was a beautiful day to say the least. He wore nothing but blue boxer shorts as he had only got up about 10 minutes ago. He breathed in the tranquillity of the moment and then ducked back inside to his room. He walk past his bed which had a young woman still asleep under the silk covers in the nude and headed for the bathroom to have a shower. He took his time under the wide stream, shampooing his hair and applying a body wash. He felt relaxed and energised after last night; the rule of the Mishima estate was that he couldn't bring anyone into the estate, but Jin soon realised that Heihachi never followed up on his rules and rather imposed them to boast his superiority over the raven-haired teen. The key really was to not be stupid enough to be caught out and seeing as Heihachi was currently in China right now, Jin could virtually do as he pleased. The girl in his bed was from the Mishima Polytechnical and so far was just another notch for Jin's belt. He'd come to welcome the idea of bedding these teens as they were a way for him to put his emotions over his family and Ogre in the back of his mind for a while and just live in the moment. Kiki had been a good experience for about 4 months until he finally worked himself up to do the deed. Since then he had worked out a pattern of striking up a conversation with someone he fancied, they go out for about 2 months to at most 4, during which he'd have his fun and then after a while slowly break off contact and let them off at the right time. He'd become increasingly good at it for nearly 3 years and now at the age of 18; he was practically a god at it.

He ended his shower and started to dry himself up in his usual manner, brush his teeth, spray some deodorant and a little cologne for good measure and gel up his hair to get his preferred look. In the 3 years he had been living with Heihachi, Jin had developed a powerful body from all the training he had done, he was perfectly sculpted like an Adonis and he was now standing at 5'11". At High school he was reaching his final year and was majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Things couldn't be better for the Kazama, but his battle had not even begun yet, he still had the same fire burning in him since he was 15 and that fire was only going to be quenched with Ogre's blood in his hands. He stared intently into his reflection for a while and then exited the bathroom to get changed. Back in his bedroom the girl in his bed had stirred from her sleep and was sitting up with the silk covers shielding her breasts. She yawned slightly and looked at Jin.

"Good morning sexy."

"Hm."

Jin went straight into his wardrobe and picked out a black tee, an orange and black jacket with Japan written in Kanji on the back, a pair of dark blue and red striped pants and some black combat boots with knee protectors. He came back out and placed the clothing items on a nearby dress counter and turned to the girl.

"Listen Natsumi I'm heading out in a few minutes, I need you to get dressed alright? You can use the shower in the bathroom over there to freshen up if you want. Afterwards go out and wait in the foyer, I'll have my butler prepare a limo for you to get home."

"Oh, alright." Came Natsumi's reply, "Am I not ok to come with you?"

"I need to go somewhere west of here. It's kind of private."

Jin dropped his towel and started to get dressed, exposing his nude body once again to the girl in front of him.

"Well, before I go, you wanna get back in the shower with me for a bit?" Natsumi asked, seductively biting her fingernail at the sight of this glorious specimen.

"No." came the flat reply of the raven-haired teen.

Taken-back by the rejection, the girl got off the bed and hurried into the bathroom in her birthday suit. Jin didn't take any notice of her and continued getting changed. Once ready he exited his bedroom and went down to the foyer, he saw the butler Aito near the entrance and approached him.

"Morning Aito."

"Morning master Mi-"

"Aito." Cut in Jin.

"Oh, do forgive me master Kazama. In in old age I forget myself at times." Aito said with an apologetic bow.

"It's alright, look I'm heading out on my bike, I probably won't be back for a few hours."

"On your own sir? Are you sure you wouldn't prefer the limo driver to take you where you need to go?"

"I'm perfectly fine Aito, I mean, I'm already dressed for it."

"Right you are sir. Might I know your destination in case I have to refer anyone of your where-a-bouts?"

"I'm just cruising around for now, and really I'd rather not tell anyway."

"Ooh very well young master. But please be careful?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Replied Jin, "Um listen, I had a guest overnight who will be making her way down shortly, will you guide her to the limo driver so she can get home?"

"Certainly master Kazama, will she be needed anything to eat beforehand?"

"Up to you." Said Jin, already walking away.

The raven-haired teen made his way down the steps in front of the mansion and over to the garage. In it was an assortment of exotic and highly valuable vehicles. Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, you name it. Jin strode past those and made his way to a fully black Honda CBR1000RR and got on. He fired up the sports bike's 999 cc four-cylinder engine, put on a matching black helmet and took off. He roared past the front yard of the mansion and speed off, out of the Estate's grounds and towards the checkpoint.

"That's not fair!"

Xiaoyu sat in the tour bus with an angry expression written all over her face. It was now past 4 in the afternoon and she and her parents were heading back to the hotel. They had spent most of the day North of Shanghai and only now were making it back into the city.

"I'm sorry Xiaoyu, but that's how it is. There's not going to be anyone available to drive us South and it's already late in the day as it is." Came the stern reply from her father.

"But you promised!"

"I'm aware Xiaoyu, and if we had been back at our hotel over an hour ago we probably would have gone. But Happy Valley is 30 kilometres south of Shanghai and the traffic today has been far too troublesome."

"It's not fair! We could have gone any other day but you didn't want to go! I was being good!"

"Again darling I'm sorry, but there's no way we can make it to the amusement park in time."

"It's open til late papa, I checked!"

"Enough shouting Xiaoyu!" pipped in her mother.

"Yes, look Xiaoyu." Continued her father, "The traffic in Shanghai is much worse at this time of the day, that's why we've always tried to be back at the hotel before the evening so we don't get stuck. The tour bus doesn't go to Happy Valley so we would have to hire another driver to take us individually there. But the traffic would be so bad that it would take far too long for us to get there. Xiaoyu, it's just not going to happen."

"But you Promised!" tears started pouring out of Xiaoyu's eyes.

"Grow up Xiaoyu!" howled her mother, "This is ridiculous, you're 15 and you're crying over a roller coaster? This is not proper behaviour for a young lady like yourself. I thought my father taught you discipline, well it's clear that you're not listening to his words. Get your head out of the clouds!"

"Alright hon, that's enough." Stammered Xiaoyu's father, "For the last time, we're sorry darling. But we won't be able to go to Happy Valley and there's no way to change that. There's still the Funfair in Zhengzhou, and maybe we'll come back to Shanghai another time okay?"

Xiaoyu kept quiet the whole way back to the hotel and in her hotel room also. She had been looking forward to this for a week and now they'd be leaving in the morning and she didn't have the chance of going on the Fireball, or the Diving Coaster. She sat with her legs over her chest on the bed and watched the TV. There wasn't anything good on so she settled for a news channel, on it was a story on the opening of the Mishima Financial Building in Shanghai with a reporter at what looked like a pier.

"Well, today went smoothly for the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu who spoke a first words today at the opening and shook hands with the mayor of Shanghai as well. This is definitely a big day for the Zaibatsu who now have a branch in the People Republic's two largest cities and also a branch in Hong Kong as well. They now have a huge foothold on the countries financial sector and look to be here to stay. We were unable to get any word from Mr. Mishima ourselves who left the ceremony shortly after and we are unsure as to where he may be now. We are currently waiting outside Heihachi Mishima's personal yacht in Sanzao Port but security here is extremely tight and getting on board seems virtually impossible. We will wait a while longer for any form of confirmation, until then, back to the studio."

As the news reporter started reading off other stories, Xiaoyu got off her bed and walked to the window of her room. Sanzao port was nearby and Xiaoyu could almost make out what she thought to be a ship in the distance through the buildings.

 _His boat is just out there…_

The pig-tailed girl sat on the bed and thought to herself about her dream to build the hugest roller coaster. This was less of a dream and more of a goal to the girl and she been serious about it for a while now. As much of a goal as it was to Xiaoyu, it still remained nothing but a dream; but with the Zaibatsu's money, Xiaoyu's dream could finally come true. Call her crazy but if there's one thing Xiaoyu is known for, it's her undying will to see things through.

With her mind made up, Xiaoyu hopped off her bed and opened her luggage again, this time she brought out her orange, sleeveless qipao and a lighter-toned shirt with puffy sleeves. She then took out an Obi sash and some orange kung Fu pants and glowing bracelets to match her headbands. She then put on some slipper shoes and made her way out of the hotel room, making sure not to get the attention of her parents. She didn't hate her parents, she loved them but at times they could be really unfair to her. Her father was the nicer of the two but got on her about her school far too much, particularly scolding her for her bad math scores and her mother seemed to not really care about her much nowadays. Right now she didn't care what they'd do to her once they found out she left the hotel, all that mattered was finding Heihachi Mishima and getting him to make her the greatest amusement park ever.

It was now into the evening in Japan and Jin had stopped outside a medical facility in Kyoto, the same medical facility that held his brother. Jin sat on his bike and looked into the entrance through his black helmet, hiding his crushed expression of guilt. It had been over a year since he had last laid eyes on Himitsu; he had most of the bandages and the castes on him gone, apart from the huge bandage that still wrapped over his head. His wounds were all healed and he had been moved into a normal room of the hospital that didn't have a huge window displaying him. When Jin had last seen him, he looked a shadow of himself, his body had become thin from his immobility and it made the raven-haired teen sick to his stomach. He wished that he would just wake up already but for now 3 years, nothing had changed. He still laid there, unmoving and dead if it weren't for the breathing.

Everytime Jin thought about his brother, he kept reminding himself of his failures. It just kept going in circles in Jin's mind, the fact that Himitsu and his mother had to face Ogre without him while he lay under a tree unconscious. He had thrown away any chance of helping fight off the brute and with it, saving his family. The worst part about it all was that in the 3 years he had been living in the Mishima Estate, the idea of taking it all back just to have his mother and brother back seemed to fade with each day. It sickened him how he could think this way, he felt selfish and enjoyed it at the same time. The mansion, the money on hand, the women at his beck and call; he loved it. Perhaps he was becoming a Mishima after all. He started to feel ill at that moment and choose to leave, he turned his Honda's engine back on and revved the engine.

"I'm sorry Mits."

He turned and sped off. After about a kilometre he had to pull over and started dry-reaching on the side of the road. He sat down for a minute and collected himself and then got back on his sports bike and took off for the Mishima Estate.

Back in Shanghai, Xiaoyu had reached the Mishima yacht at Sanzao Port. She had snuck in undetected and was now in a vantage spot overlooking the pier that the ship was docked into. She put her hands to her eyes like binoculars and looked at the security on the pier. They were slowly all boarding the boat, leaving only a few on the pier to watch over it. Still, the pig-tailed girl couldn't simply board the ship the way they all were; she looked around for another alternative and then found it, the anchor. She silently slid away from her vantage point and crept up to the pier, using anything scattered around to hid her movements from the remaining security; boxes, crates, bins, benches. Finally, her put herself in a position with a slight run-up to the edge of the pier where the anchor line was situated. While the yacht was still right alongside the pier, it was huge and the anchor was nearly 10 metres out of range from the pier. No normal person could possibly reach that without ending up in the ocean first, luckily Xiaoyu was anything but normal. She was a gifted gymnast back in Zhengzhou and while distances like these may still be a challenge, they weren't impossible. Waiting for any remaining security to have their attention elsewhere, she sprinted at the right moment towards the pier's edge. Just as she was about to go over the edge, Xiaoyu performed a Front Layout and somersaulted through the air. As her body straightened out and she started to drop, she reached out her hands and grabbed onto the anchor line. She caught it. Slowly she started to climb, watching out for anyone watching her as she moved further and further up. Before long her feet were resting on the top deck as she crouched down with a mischievous grin.

 _Too easy Xiao._ She said to herself.

Keeping an eye out for any guards on board, Xiaoyu snuck around looking for Heihachi, so far, there had been to sight of him. Still valiant, the pig-tailed girl continued searching the yacht for the Head of the Zaibatsu. Soon enough she came to the door of a large cabin on the ship which had two security guards standing outside on the lookout. _Heihachi Mishima has to be in there, duh!_ Xiaoyu thought to herself as she watched the guards. Seeing no way around them, Xiaoyu decided it was time to take action. Her silently moved to opposite wall, the same one the guards were standing in front. Remaining out of their line of sight, she crept along the wall until she was in perfect range of the closest guard. She then stepped off the wall and rushed up and hit the closest guard with a Step Kick that knocked the first guard clear off his feet and into a wall, knocking him out.

"What the!?"

The second guard turned to the girl, but before he could do anything Xiaoyu struck him with a double palm thrust called Birds Flock which blasted him off and into the same wall his colleague had hit, knocking him out as well. Xiaoyu straightened up, waved a False Salute to the two and then proceeded to enter the cabin. Inside was definitely Heihachi's quarters; it was large and lavish with a red mahogany wood desk with an expensive laptop resting on it, a King sized bed that had a tiger print coat laid upon it, a bar table with an assortment of liquors behind the counter and a huge plasma TV. Unfortunately, there was no Heihachi in this room.

Xiaoyu huffed in anger that Mr. Mishima was still nowhere to be seen, even inside his room with guards at the entrance. She started to look around for any clues as to his where-a-bouts. She opened the laptop but couldn't get past the password it had, she started looking in the draws of the desk but decided to search elsewhere as the desk smelled kinda funny to her. She looked around the bedside tables but found nothing of use in there. Then she picked up the tiger-print coat and ruffled through the pockets and found a paper inside it. In it was some sort of schedule with today's date on it. Xiaoyu scanned the paper and found that at the current time it was now, there was a notification about a gala in Shanghai.

 _That's where he is? This has been nothing but a waste!_

Pouting, Xiaoyu put the paper back in the jacket and then sat on the bed thinking about what to do next. She really hadn't thought this far now that she was on Heihachi Mishima's boat, in his cabin, having knocked out two of his guards, and the man she wanted to see was not on board. She was kinda impressed about how easily she had handled those two security guards; they were pretty built but that didn't count for nothing in the end. Besides gymnastics, Xiaoyu took up multiple martial arts lessons with her grandfather, Wang Jinrei, learning Hakke Sho and Hika Ken based styles of Wushu disciplines. She had been learning them from her grandfather since she was about 7 and was the reason why she spent a lot of time with her grandfather instead of her parents. In the 8 years she had been practicing, she had become pretty fit even though she still had quite the petite figure and stood just over 5'. All her training didn't exactly help with her studies though, especially with her maths.

Suddenly sounds were heard outside the room causing Xiaoyu to jump off the bed in fright. Then a guard burst into the room and eyed the pig-tailed girl.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing in here?! This boat belongs to the Mishima Zaibatsu!"

The guard charged at Xiaoyu, who quickly did a Right Spinner to avoid him grabbing hold of her and then flipping him onto the floor with an Arm Flip. She quickly ran from the room and saw the two security guards from earlier; one started to come towards her while the other was talking into his earpiece about the current situation. As the guard made a swipe for her, Xiaoyu did a quick California Roll to avoid the guard and then shot up from her Phoenix Stance with a Wave Crest Power, launching the man back into the other guard. Xiaoyu quickly took off in fright, running down corridors and dodging more security as they tried to cut her off. Before long, she had made it back to the main deck of the yacht, unfortunately she was now surrounded by a dozen security. Seeing no way out of this peacefully, Xiaoyu readied her fighting stance and held her ground.

A short while later, a black chopper flew out from a high-rise building in Shanghai towards Sanzao port and landed on the Mishima Zaibatsu private yacht. From out the chopper stepped Heihachi and Harada, and Heihachi wasn't in a good mood to say the least. He had been enjoying the gala held in his honour back in the city and had planned to say over for the night. That was, until Harada informed him that there were reports of an attack on his yacht. Now torn away from his party, Heihachi was determined to make the culprit pay.

"I can't have one night to my own, NOT ONE NIGHT!" Heihachi shouted, "Where are my damn security!?"

"I'm not sure Mishima-sama." Came a timid reply from Harada, best not to incur the wrath of a Mishima.

"I swear, someone is going to pay, DEARLY! I can't believe th-…"

Heihachi's sentence was cut short as they reached the main deck. Here, there were over a dozen security guards all on the floor, either unconscious or in pain. It looked like something had swept by and massacred these men. _Ogre?_ Heihachi thought. No, it just couldn't be, these men were still breathing. Heihachi bent down and pulled a still conscious guard by the collar close to him.

"Hey! You! What happened here?" he asked the guard.

"We…were…attacked…" came the slow reply.

"By who. Who!"

"G-girl…it was…a girl…"

Heihachi nearly dropped the man. He looked up and around him once more, as if he had been here for the first time again. Then pulled the guard close to him once more.

"What. Did you. Say?"

"A…girl…" came the weak reply.

A cruel expression ran across Mr. Mishima's face as he let go of the guard's collar and instead grabbed him around the throat and picked him up with one hand.

"Are you trying to tell me, that my boat looks like this, because of a girl? You're telling me! That my security force! WAS WIPED OUT! BY A GIRL!?"

"…a…um…"

Heihachi threw the man overboard like a toothpick, hearing the man scream before the splash that followed. The head of the Zaibatsu then picked up another guard by the throat and repeated his question.

"DID MY SECURITY FORCE OF PROFESSIONALS GET BEATEN UP BY A GIRL?!"

"…"

Another was thrown overboard as Heihachi reached for another member of security. He asked the same question and tossed him off the boat just as he did the first two. He repeated this until Harada finally decided to interject at the 7th guard in Heihachi's grasp.

"Um sir, sir! I think it's safe to assume that a girl did indeed do this. Throwing these men overboard isn't going to change that."

"WELL IT MAKES ME FEEL JUST A LITTLE BETTER EACH TIME I DO HARADA!"

"W-w-w-well Mishima-sama, maybe we should forget about the security right now and focus on the real situation at hand; this girl they speak of."

Heihachi left the guard slip out of this fingers as he turned to face his advisor, "What about her?"

"Well, the boat is currently off-shore at the moment and there have been no reports of anyone leaving here so it's obvious that the girl will still be aboard. And more importantly nearby. Perhaps we should call her out and see why she's here in the first place?"

"Fine," said Mr. Mishima, letting of a sigh, "We'll do it YOUR way."

With that, Heihachi spoke up to address the whole boat if need be.

"Attention! Little Girl! I am Heihachi Mishima and you are on my boat and these fools are the security that you supposedly took care of! I want you to step out right now and show yourself so you can explain what you are doing smuggling yourself onto other people yachts and crushing their security into unemployment! Come out now or I may be forced to sink this entire vessel with you still on it!"

Mr. Mishima turned to Harada and lift a cigar he had on him, "Think that'll work?"

"Maybe." His advisor replied, "The last bit wasn't really necessary, this yacht is after all a 170 billion yen vessel."

"Um." Came an unknown voice

Heihachi and Harada turned and saw a small girl standing behind them, she had her legs together and had her hands grasped one another. Her bottom lip was curled over her top lip and she had a worried expression on her face. Heihachi looked at the girl with his stogie in his mouth, he puffed it and breathed out dumbfounded.

 _The training these men were put through for his position…_ Heihachi cleared his throat before continuing, "Little girl, did you do all this?"

The girl looked at the remaining guards for a moment and then quickly nodded at Mr. Mishima, not opening her mouth to speak.

"I'm impressed." Said Heihachi continuing on, "You must have trained in some form of discipline to overcome these odds. Who's your master?"

"My grandpa." Said the girl finally. "My grandpa Wang Jinrei."

"Jinrei…I recall the name, was he an old man who fought in the first and second Tekken tournament?"

"Yup." The girl's face light up a little.

"Hmpf! I'm surprised the old croaker is still around. What's your name girl?"

"Ling Xiaoyu, first name Xiaoyu. And I know who you are Mister Heihachi."

"If you know who I am Miss Xiaoyu then you can understand that sneaking onto my boat and attacking my security is a BIG mistake."

"I know, I'm truly sorry sir!" Xiaoyu started to bowed repeatedly before continuing, "I only wanted to see you and then things got out of hand…"

"Why did you want to see me?" Heihachi eyes narrowed as he looked at the girl.

"Because, I want you to build me the best amusement park in the world!"

"…"

Xiaoyu was hopping on the spot with a huge smile and her eyes closed while Heihachi's jaw dropped, his cigar hitting the floor. He almost couldn't see straight after what he had just heard. He really had not expected it to go that way.

"….heh…..hehe…he…he, ha. Haha, hahaha, hahahahah. HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Heihachi was bent over in a laughing fit, Xiaoyu had stopped hopping on the spot and now had her own confused expression on her face. Mr. Mishima was wiping tears out of his eyes as he slowly came back down. He couldn't figure out why, but he liked the kid.

"Hey! It's not funny!" screamed Xiaoyu, "If you don't watch it I'll lose it again and knock YOU out!"

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…. HAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Heihachi was in a fit of laughter once again, it was just too much. Everything about this was a hoot for the old man. This girl's power and courage was something to behold, and her attitude amused him on end. He had never met such as individual as the girl standing in front of him and very quickly, an idea popped into his head. Once again he slowly settled down again as he wiped more tears of laughter away.

"Listen, listen, listen. Alright…alright… ok. Ling Xiaoyu you do really want the greatest amusement park in the world?"

"Yes! And the biggest roller coaster as well!" she answered.

"Alright. In a year I am planning to host a tournament, the third King of the Iron Fist tournament that is. I promise, that if you can win the tournament, I'll build you your amusement park."

"Really? Oh that's wonderful Mister Heihachi! I'll win the tournament for sure!" Xiaoyu started hopping on the spot once more.

"Good, but there is something you'll have to do first." Heihachi added.

Xiaoyu stopped hopping once more, wondering what Heihachi was going to say next.

It was the following day in Japan. Jin had gotten changed into his training uniform and was heading out of his room and towards the Mishima dojo wearing some black pants with a flame in red and yellow linear tint on the right leg. As he made his way down he heard several sets of tired rolling up to the front of the mansion. _That would be grandfather_ ,he thought to himself as he descended the stairs. As if on cue, Tekken Force soldiers entered the mansion and stood to attention as Mr. Mishima walked inside, but Jin noticed something very strange; behind his grandfather was a young teenage girl. She didn't seem over 5' tall and she eyed her surroundings in utter amazing, kinda like he had when he first entered here.

 _What the fuck is grandfather doing with here? It better not be what I think it is!_

Jin quickly leaded down a flight of stairs and walked up to his grandfather who seemed in a happy attitude this day.

"Ah Jin my boy! How nice of you to greet your dear grandfather on his return back!"

"Grandfather, who's that?" Jin said, pointing to the girl.

"This, Kazama, is Ling Xiaoyu. She will be your new sparring partner."

Heihachi pushed the girl forward, in front of Jin. The two looked at each other for what seemed like a long while. Jin looked down on the girl with utter confusion written across his face; this girl was going to apparently be his sparring partner and the raven-haired teen just couldn't see it that way. The girl looked like a twig next to him, something that could be snapped in half at the slightest force.

"Hmph."

Xiaoyu looked up at Jin in shock, he was so handsome that the girl felt glued to the spot in his presence. He towered over her and looked pretty much like a Greek God to the 15 year old. Xiaoyu could feel her cheeks redden in his sight.

"Um, Konichiwa Kazama Jin." Came a sheepish reply.

Jin turned heel and walked off, leaving Xiaoyu to watch him ascend the stairs as he headed for the dojo. She was going to be living here at the Mishima Estate now and would be attending Mishima Polytechnical herself. It didn't take much to convince the girl to leave China and live in Japan and study at such a prestigious school in Tokyo, it was really like another dream come true for her. Now the ultimate goal awaited, she would train especially hard and also be Jin's sparring partner for the time being. She was going to put everything into her training so that she could win and have the greatest amusement park in the world and nothing was going to get in the way of this goal. Even if looking at Jin made her forget about everything she wanted at that moment.

* * *

(And there's chapter 14! I was having a real major writers block in this one, took a power nap and then woke up to everyone's reviews for the previous chapter. Needless to say, a giant grin ran across my face at the comments and the motivation kicked back in. People worried about Himitsu actually made me really happy; it was so nice to see that people cared about him and wanted to hear more about the character. I think it would be awesome to make some concept art for him but I can't draw for squat hahaha. Now we finally have Xiaoyu in the mix, what could possibly happen from here? I guess we'll have to find out! Cheers for reading and reviewing, please favourite and follow so that you can keep updated on the story as it continues to be uploaded. Also I will be back at my university in about 3 days time so the uploading barrage I'm on at the moment will probably start to really decrease. I promise that I will not drop this story and will keep on going! Enjoy!)


	15. High Spirited Girl

Chapter 15 – High Spirited Girl

"Rise and shine Miss Xiaoyu, or you'll be late."

Xiaoyu lay her bed with her arms and legs wrapped around one of her pillows. She had been having a dream where she was riding a huge roller coaster at an amusement park, lights flashed everywhere around her and she held tightly to the man seated next to her as they went down a huge drop in excitement. Suddenly the sound of an elderly fellow ripped her out of the blissful sleep and the light from a nearby curtain made her eyes hurt and water.

"Nooooooooo…. Leave me alone…" she moaned to the intruder.

"I'm afraid I can't Miss Xiaoyu, you will miss your ride to Mishima Polytechnical; it is your first day after all."

Xiaoyu gave in and opened her eyes to see the Mishima estate's butler, Aito, standing over her with a towel and a bathrobe.

"Here you are Miss," Aito said handing her the toiletries he was holding, "Have a quick shower and I'll have your bed made and your uniform on the dresser ready for you."

Xiaoyu had a light yawn, "Oh, thank you Mister butler. But you don't have to make my bed. I can do it myself."

"I insist Miss Xiaoyu, it's what I'm here for." The butler responded, holding back a chuckle.

"Oh? What is it?" Xiaoyu asked, picking up on Aito's smile.

"Oh nothing to worry young Miss, just a little déjà vu. Now please hurry along or you'll be late."

Xiaoyu jumped out of bed with her toiletries and hurried into the bathroom. She put on a hair-cap and quickly had a rinse in the shower, not bothering to wash her hair so that it's natural oils could settle in. Just as quickly as she was in, she had come back out and started to freshen herself up in front of the mirror. The bathroom was pretty much that same as Jin's with a long wash basin, a bathtub with spa features, a spacious shower and of course; a toilet. It shouldn't be no surprise of the similarities as Xiaoyu was in the East Wing of the mansion with Jin who was only a few doors down. Her counter however, was littered with roll-on deodorants, perfumes, skin shaving products and an assortment of make-up and hair sprays. She gave her face a light powder, added a lavender shadow for her eye lids and finished off with a bit of lip balm. She then sprayed some de-tangler in her hair and brushed away until her knots were non-existent and put her hair in her trademark pig tails, only this time a little lower so they hung down more. She smiled at herself and left the bathroom with her robe on. Aito was no longer in Xiaoyu's room and she noticed her school uniform all ready for her; it consisted of a white blouse shirt with a low sailor's collar, a pleated green and blue checker skirt, a sleeveless black vest, brown loafers with long white socks and a blue ribbon to tie around her sailor's collar. She got changed and looked at herself in the mirror on the dresser, she looked pretty cute. She gave her reflection a peace sign with a kawai pose and dashed out of her room.

Jin was already up and had finished his breakfast which was a Miso soup. He was in his school uniform as well which included a white long sleeve buttoned shirt, a v-neck blazer with the school crest, pleated blue and green checker pants with orange lines in them and brown leather shoes. Currently his blazer was off and instead he wore his riding jacket. He didn't take the limo to school now that he could get around on his own and he much rather preferred it that way; his sports bike could easily weave through Tokyo's traffic without any hassle so he could take was much time as he liked on the way. It wasn't the best morning for the raven-haired teen though as last night he had the same nightmare he'd slowly been having for a while now. The dream consisted of the same bright light appearing in front of him and once more reached he out for the figure that came out of the white glow. Suddenly the world around him would become dark and the woman in the light would disappear in front of him only to be replaced by a winged figure in black with two red glowing eyes. After the creature had lunged into him, Jin would be in total blackness with a towering person standing above him although this time there would be more than one surrounding him. They all chanted the same phrase over and over:

" **Give in to the anger. Hate me! Curse ME!"**

Even now Jin could hear the words over and over in his head and the tattoo on his left arm would burn like a brand as he walked into the foyer and towards the front.

"Hey Jin!" a cheerful voice called from behind Jin, causing the Kazama to turn to it.

Skipping down the stairs came Ling Xiaoyu with the brightest smile imaginable, Jin couldn't help uttering out a sigh at the picture before him.

"Hey there…um Ling…" came Jin's reply.

"Jin I told you already, Ling is my surname you can just call me Xiaoyu okay?"

"Sure whatever."

"Hey, that jacket isn't part of the school uniform! Where can I get one?"

"I know it's not part of the uniform Xiaoyu, I use it whenever I ride my bike."

"Ohh… so that means we're not going to be in the limo together?" Xiaoyu looked at Jin with a sad expression.

"Yes, that's exactly what it means, you take the limo and I take my bike. Bye."

Jin walked off, taking his school bag from Aito who was holding it out for him. He strode down the front steps and out of sight as he made his way to the garage holding his Honda. Xiaoyu walked up to Aito took her bag with a glum look on her face.

"What's wrong young Miss? Asked the butler attentively.

"I thought Jin was going to be in the limo as well…" came Xiaoyu's sad reply.

"Oh, don't be upset Miss Xiaoyu, master Kazama is always on his own, he prefers it that way."

"I was hoping he could help me get used to High School here…"

"You'll be perfectly fine young Miss I promise. Mishima Polytechnical is a wonderful place for the growing mind filled with lovely people. Mishima-sama would not have enrolled you if he didn't think you were capable of succeeded there. Anyways, you're going to be late if you stand here any longer, do run along."

"But I haven't eaten yet!" Xiaoyu pouted.

"All taken care of, you'll find something to eat in the limo, now hurry along."

Xiaoyu bounded away towards the limo outside, waving goodbye to Aito who waved back in response. In the limo she saw that there was a clear plastic bowl filled with fruit and a small takeaway box of miso soup. With newfound excitement, Xiaoyu happily dug into her breakfast as the limo pulled away from the estate and out of the checkpoint zone. It only took a day or two for Xiaoyu to get comfortable about living in Japan; she already knew the language from studying it at her school in Zhengzhou and was already a Japanese girl at heart, she loved everytime about Japan that she couldn't help but fit in. As for her parents who originally were absolutely furious about Xiaoyu running away from them and ending up on the Mishima Zaibatsu's yacht; after Harada had told them of Heihachi's intentions with their daughter and the fact that she was being put in a prestigious school known throughout Asia as the pinnacle of education, free of charge, her mother and father couldn't help but concede under the grounds that this could do Xiaoyu some good in a new environment and was huge opportunity for her. It was only her grandfather Jinrei who remained upset about Xiaoyu being in Japan but it wasn't because she wasn't in China anymore. Wang Jinrei knew Heihachi Mishima personally, having lived with the Mishimas as their personal gardener when they were originally situated in the city of Mishima, over 80 years ago. Wang was a close friend to Heihachi's father, Jinpachi Mishima, and the two of them while at different ends of the spectrum, respected each other immensely. When Jinpachi mysteriously died, Heihachi took over at head of the Mishimas and under his rule, turned what was once a dojo in the city of Mishima into the Zaibatsu that it is today. Both Heihachi and his son Kazuya ruled like gods from on high and Wang knew that this was not what his friend had wanted for his family. Wang told Xiaoyu over the phone that she must be careful around the Head of the Mishima Zaibatsu as he is not someone to be trusted. Still Xiaoyu persisted and now after 4 days of settling in, she was going to the Mishima Polytechnical High School for the first time.

Like always the Mishima limo made its way through the traffic of Tokyo with apparent ease, almost like it was an emergency vehicle. Xiaoyu arrived at school just in time and hurried inside building B, where her homeroom was. She nearly walked into the wrong classroom but with the timetable sheet she had received her was able to eventual locate room B-13D. She found a free seat and sat down in silence as the students around her talked freely amongst themselves until their homeroom teacher came in.

"Morning students."

"Morning Miss Itachi." The students droned.

"Prepare yourself for today's lessons and also remember that we'll be needing forms for your years' excursion in by the following Monday so be sure to get on it. I'll now be reading out the role."

The teacher started calling off the names on her role sheet, with the students answering when their name is called, eventually they got to the end.

"Ok class, now we have a new student with us today. Her name is Xiaoyu Ling; will you please stand up Miss Ling?"

Xiaoyu slowly stood, a bit embarrassed, "Umm, hi." She quickly sat back down after that.

"Thank you, Miss Ling. Now students, Xiaoyu comes from China from what I've been told so I want you all to help her feel welcome to her new school and specially to living here as she does now."

The bell then rang, signalling first period. All the students rose up from their seats and shuffled off to their respective classes. Xiaoyu hurried along with her head in the timetable sheet, trying to figure out where her Business studies class was. She moved back and forth Building B until she realised that she was meant to be in building A. She jumped on the spot and ran out the building, hoping that she wouldn't be late to her first class. Mishima Polytechnical had a total of 4 buildings with Buildings A and B being the biggest and where most classes were held. Both buildings were huge complexes with multiple levels and from Xiaoyu's perspective, it was like 4 Mishima Estates in one place but with different layouts in each one. Before long Xiaoyu had skidded into room A-10F with everyone seated and already with their own books out, the teacher turned towards Xiaoyu unimpressed.

"Are you in this class young lady?"

"Yes sir." Said Xiaoyu in a huffed response.

"Tch, you're a minute late then."

"I know sir I'm truly sorry but it's my first day."

The teacher picked up his role sheet and looked it up and down before turning back to Xiaoyu, "Xiaoyu Ling?"

The pig-tailed girl nodded quickly.

"Well, welcome to Business studies, I'm Mr. Shin. Go…..take a seat next to Miss Hirano."

A girl with short, auburn hair looked up at Xiaoyu as she took she took her seat next to her. The teacher then turned to the white board and continued with the lesson.

"You're the new girl in our homeroom yeah?" The auburn haired girl whispered to Xiaoyu.

"For room 13D? Yeah I guess so." Xiaoyu whispered back.

"Cool, my names Miharu by the way."

"Nice to meet you, my name's Xiaoyu."

"Duh." The two had a little giggle but still kept their voice down, "So, you're from China?"

"Yep."

"And you know our language pretty well?"

"Yeah, I studied Japanese back where I used to live."

"Wow, so you know like two whole languages yeah?"

"Uh huh."

"That's so cool."

Xiaoyu felt her face smile to no end, this girl was incredibly nice that it was torturing her cheeks.

"Can I see your timetable?"

"Yeah sure." Whispered Xiaoyu, handing the sheet over.

Miharu quickly looked through, "We've got a couple classes together; this period and also periods 4 and 6."

"That's great."

"If you two are well acquainted now, perhaps I could continue the lesson?"

Both girls looked up and saw Mr. Shin standing over them both. Their cheeks went red.

"We're sorry Mr. Shin." Said Miharu, "We'll keep quiet this time, we swear."

Once more unimpressed, the teacher walked back to the white and started again with his lesson.

"Listen," whispered Miharu, "We'll talk more at recess okay?"

"Sure, that sounds great." Xiaoyu replied.

"Shhhh."

A few shushes from behind caused the two to instantly go silent, they opened up their books and finally started to participate in the lesson.

After the 2nd period, Xiaoyu wandered into the cafeteria of Building A where she saw a sea of students all amassed at tables like a grid board. She didn't know where to even begin until someone came up from behind and locked their arms together.

"Come on, this way to the food!" Miharu proudly hollered as she and Xiaoyu moved over to the kitchen.

"Where'd you come from?" asked Xiaoyu.

"Don't worry, less talk more snacking come on!"

The two got in line with dozens of other student as they quickly shuffled along to where the food counter was. Behind the protective glass was Japanese snacks and food of all shapes and sizes. Xiaoyu couldn't believe the stuff they had on offer. It was like they were at a restaurant! Miharu wasted no time in making up a tray for herself and Xiaoyu, picking out a Chicken roll for her new friend.

"What's that?" Xiaoyu inquired to the roll on her tray.

"Vietnamese Roll," Answered Miharu, "You'll love it!"

"Wow, never had anything Vietnamese before, what's it got?"

"Oh you know; chicken, lettuce, mayo, tomato, onions, springbok and of course a little soy."

"Umm alright, as long as it's good."

Miharu finished by picking up two water bottles and the two were off again. The auburn haired girl wandered around until her noticed some people seated at a table.

"Hey girls!" Miharu hollered

The 3 girls at the table turned to the auburn haired girl and acknowledged her.

"Hey Miharu." Said one of them.

"Ok guys, this is Xiaoyu." Miharu said pointing up and down, "She's new here."

"Oh, I think I saw you in 2nd period's Biology class, hi!" said one of the girls.

"Nice to meet you guys!" said Xiaoyu cheerfully

The two girls sat down with the rest, Xiaoyu couldn't help but feel giddy inside, _Wow Aito was sooo right!_ _This place is awesome; I'm already making new friends!_

"Anyway Xiao-… can I call you Xiao?" Miharu asked.

"Uhh sure! If that makes it easier for you." Xiaoyu replied.

"Ok Xiao! Well, these three are Meeka, Mei-mei and Erikel."

Xiaoyu looked to the three seated with them; Meeka and Mei-mei were both Japanese with long black hair but Meeka held her hair in a pony-tail and Mei-mei's was let down and flowing. Erikel on the other hand didn't look Asian at all, she had a Caucasian face and Hazel-brown hair tied in a plait.

"Umm yes, if you're wondering," Erikel said, noticing Xiaoyu staring at her, "I'm am not Japanese. My parents moved here from Sweden when I was 6, been here ever since."

"Wow, that's incredible!" Xiaoyu exclaimed, she'd never met anyone from Europe before, "Isn't it daunting living here?"

"No way!" Meeka chimed in, "There are students from all over the world here; Australia, America, even Europe like Kaykay here."

"Europe isn't a country Meeka."

"I know, it's just easier to group it together."

"Well Xiao is a foreigner too." Added Miharu.

"Yeah, I'm Chinese."

"So are two 2 billion other people." Said Erikel.

The five laughed at the poor joke as Xiaoyu picked up her roll to have a bite. It instantly tasted great but then out of nowhere her mouth felt like it was on fire. Xiaoyu stuck her tongue out and started fanning it. The girls laughed some more.

"Looks like Miharu got you Xiao!" said Mei-mei, still laughing.

Miharu handed her a bottle of water, "Hahaha I forgot to mention there's a little bit of chili in Vietnamese rolls haha."

Xiaoyu wrenched the bottled out of Miharu's hand and started chugging. After a few seconds the fire in the mouth subsided.

"I didn't think you didn't like chilies though…" Miharu said a little worried.

"Mm, uh uh no I'm okay with them, it's just that it took me by surprise. Why didn't you tell me though?"

"I always feel that it's better to break people in with a laugh." Said Miharu with a smile back on her face.

"Yeah don't take it personally," said Erikel, "She did the same to me a while ago, she likes her little jokes and I like making fun of people."

"Well, didn't we already laugh at your joke before?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Well the problem was that the joke was terrible." Answered Miharu, the 5 laughed a little again then began to eat as well, Xiaoyu kept eating the roll, now aware of the fire that could follow.

"Anyway, did you move here to Japan with your parents as well Xiao?" Mei-mei asked.

"No, actually I came by myself."

"What? Where are you even living then?" asked Miharu.

"Oh, with mister Heihachi in his mansion."

Silence fell to the table as the four girls stopped eating and looked at Xiaoyu in shock.

"What?"

"You live at the Mishima estate?" asked Meeka.

"Yyyyes?"

"With Jin?"

"Y-yeah."

"Ooooooooooooooh!" the girls cooed at the same time.

"You live with Jin Kazama?!" said Miharu, half squealing it.

"Um, yeah, what about it?"

"He. Is. Dreamy!" Meeka exclaimed, "He's so hot!"

"He's that handsome." Pipped in Erikel.

"Forget that, he's sexy." Added Mei-mei.

"And you get to live with him Xiao!" Miharu said with a huge grin. "It's like a Fairytale."

"It's nothing too major guys, relax." Said Xiaoyu, feinting interest, "Where even is he anyway?"

"Same place he always is."

All the girls, pointed behind Miharu and Xiaoyu craned her neck to see over her. Much further down, at his own table with no one around, was Jin. Xiaoyu felt her heart skip a beat as he saw him, she sat back down and tried not to blush.

"Why's he on his own?" Xiaoyu asked.

"That's how he always is," replied Miharu, "He doesn't like anyone sitting with him during recess and lunch."

"Why?"

"Beats me, makes him hella mysterious though."

"I think I'll go talk to him, maybe he can come sit with us." Said Xiaoyu, getting up.

"Ha! Good luck with that." Said Erikel, "That's his table for a reason, no one sits there but him."

"I'll be fine. Don't worry."

Xiaoyu walked away from her table and over to Jin's, feeling the girl's eyes on here and slowly everyone else as she reached Jin's table. He had his left hand over his eyes as if he was resting while seated. Xiaoyu sat in the chair opposite him.

"Hey Jin." She said.

Jin's right eye opened and looked through his fingers at his intruder, seeing who it was he sighed and lowered his hand to expose his face.

"Yeah, what is it Xiaoyu?" he asked rather flatly.

"Umm…"

"…"

"Well I…"

"…" another sigh escaped his lips.

"Umm, well I made some friends and we were wondering if you wanted to sit over at the table we're at."

"No."

"Oh. Ummm, okay."

"…"

"I…"

"Xiaoyu, can you go?"

"A-a-, well…no, no! I don't have to go; I'm talking with you still."

Another sigh, much deeper this time.

"Oh, umm you know that we have training later on after school right?"

"I'm aware."

"Good, that's good cause…well you know, we should be sparring today."

Another sigh, "Look Xiaoyu I'm not going to spar with you alright?"

"What? Why not?"

"It's not on Xiaoyu, that's it. We can train together but anything more than that is not happening."

"Oh…alright."

"…"

"Well, I'll see you later then."

"Later."

Xiaoyu left Jin alone and returned to her table. She could feel everyone's eyes piercing into her like she was transparent. She sat down in silence in with her new friends once more.

"Well. At least you didn't get knocked out." Said Meeka.

"That's not funny Meeka, besides he'd never do that to a girl, let alone Xiao." Miharu responded., winking at the pig-tailed girl.

"Guys, I'm just gonna eat for now okay?" said Xiaoyu, her face was a little low as she talked.

This was one of the first times that she'd actually had a proper conversation with the raven-haired teen. She knew that he was a bit of a loner, but not on this level. Xiaoyu just couldn't handle being on her own that if it wasn't for Miharu today, she'd probably would have had the worst day ever. She'd never met someone was reclusive and on the defence like that before, but she was just as obsessed with Jin as anyone else interested in him would be. His mysterious allure drew the pig-tailed girl further in; though at the same time she could help but feel sorry for the guy. It was clear that something had him drawn away from others that made it almost impossible to get a clear idea about his troubles and issues present. Maybe she would have to work at it for him to open up more, it would do him some good.

Soon enough school was done and everyone walked out to either head home on foot or be picked up. Xiaoyu had exchanged phone numbers with Miharu during lunch period and would definitely be giving her a call later on. She walked out the front of Mishima Polytechnical and saw the Zaibatsu limo waiting for her, as she approached she saw Jin blast on by on his Honda CBR1000RR. The engine was deafening as it roared past. Xiaoyu got in the limo and soon they were off as well; leaving the huge city of Tokyo behind as they continued on to the Mishima Estate. Once there, Xiaoyu went to her home and read up on her Geography notes that she had taken down today, she dreaded the next day though as tomorrow she would be having maths to deal with, her personal kryptonite.

After a while she heard Jin's sports bike pulling into the estate and decided to head to the dojo in advance. She went into the wardrobe and took out a similar outfit to what she wore on the Mishima yacht, only this time it was predominately pink and had a blue Obi tied around her waist instead. She undid her hair and redid it so that the pig-tails were higher up than before and wore matching pink headbands and bracelets. She quickly headed off to the dojo, nearly bumping into Kuma.

"Grrr, wrrrh ehhrr!"

"Sorry Kuma!" she said as she bounded off.

Once at the dojo she started with some stretches to loosen her body and then started practising her Hika Ken with slow motions of her hands and hips, getting the right motions down just as grandpa Jinrei had taught her. She then started to change up her style by shifting to Hakke Sho which involved faster and constant motion movements that revolved around "circle walking". She continued to practice as Jin finally entered the dojo himself. He wore the same black training pants he always wore with the yellow and red flame tint on the right leg. He walked past Xiaoyu and took up his own space of the dojo, there he started perform a Mishima-ryu kata; instilling the same mindset that his grandfather had told him 3 years ago. His movements and strikes were accurate and strong. Every step he took he imagined an unbeatable opponent rushing at him from all sides; with every guard to stop his attack and every thrust of his fists and swipe of his leg designed with the purpose of cutting this opponent down in one hit. He finished his kata and exhaled loudly, feeling the blood in him heat up and electricity flowing around him.

"Very good Kazama."

Jin and Xiaoyu turned to the voice and saw Heihachi Mishima standing in the doorway, he was still wearing his business attire and had Kuma at his flank. The two stood as a menacing pair as they eyed the two student warriors, with Heihachi starting to walk towards them.

"Alright, both of you to the centre. It's time for a little Kumite."

Xiaoyu looked at Jin who looked to her and then back to Mr. Mishima.

"I'm not going to spar with her grandfather." He said as he walked towards Heihachi.

"What? Why? I went out of my way to find you a proper sparring partner and this is the thanks I get?"

"No grandfather, she's only going to get herself hurt if we fight."

"HA! I'm sure Xiaoyu is perfectly capable of handling herself, are you?" Heihachi turned the question towards Xiaoyu who was standing still, looking at the two.

She quickly made her way to the centre of the dojo and assumed her fighting stance, "Yes Mister Heihachi, I'll be fine."

Heihachi turned to face his grandson again, "There, see? Now ready yourself boy!"

Jin didn't budge, "Why can't I perform a Kumite with you grandfather?"

"Well first of all, I'm not dressed for the occasion. And more importantly, we've already done so and the results are always the same. You need to perform your Kumite with an opponent that has a different fighting style all together. That way, you can understand how to handle different situations much better. Performing a Kumite with someone of the same style will not make you any better than you were before, this way you can develop more knowledge on how to handle a different opponent each time. Now, CENTRE OF THE DOJO BOY!"

Jin sighed and turned to face Xiaoyu, he walked over to the centre and raised his fists to ready himself. Both him and Xiaoyu looked at their opposite; Jin could see that Xiaoyu looked nervous while Xiaoyu saw that Jin was disinterested in the whole thing.

"Well, come on! FIGHT!" roared Mr. Mishima.

Xiaoyu made the first move with a Step Kick which Jin sidestepped and countered with a Shoulder Flip, bringing Xiaoyu onto her back. Xiaoyu flipped up and attacked with a Fortune Cookie combo but the third palm strike was caught and reversed by Jin who threw the girl once again, this time with an Over the Shoulder Reverse. The move hurt Xiaoyu's arm as she was flipped onto her stomach but she persevered and rolled backwards and back to her feet. Jin hadn't really moved from the spot he had started in, only turning when executing a grapple. Xiaoyu knew that he was just playing defensive and holding back.

"You need to fight Jin!" she told him, "You're not going to learn like Mister Heihachi wants you to!"

"Hmph!" was all Jin could utter as a response.

 _Well if that's how he wants to be, I'll just have to make him attack then._ Xiaoyu thought to herself.

In a quick motion, Xiaoyu closed the distance between her and Jin by performing a Cartwheel Left and a Dive Roll Right and then swapped stances into Rain Dance. Jin looked at her in bemusement, wondering what she was trying to move by flipping around and then turned her back to him. Then Xiaoyu performed her Dark & Stormy combo; the first two palm strikes were blocked once again by Jin but the third behind the back kick shoot up through Jin's guard and hit him in the chin, causing him to be sent skywards. As Jin came back down, Xiaoyu hit him with a Jumping Lift Kick launching him again and away from the centre of the dojo. He landed with a thud as he tumbled on the floor, and raised his girl to look at the girl in a mix of anger and astonishment.

"AAAARRHAHAHAHAH!" howled a hysterical Heihachi from the background, "You see boy, this girl ain't no pushover. And now YOU look the hurt one!"

Xiaoyu stood away from Jin and taunted him with a Greeting, giggling as she did. Jin got to his feet and faced the 15 year old for the first time.

 _Mental note Kazama: if stupid grandfather says that stupid girl is strong. Then stupid girl is stupid strong._

Jin launched off his feet and charged at Xiaoyu, performing a Leaping Side Kick. Xiaoyu successfully dodged by getting into her Phoenix stance as Jin flew over. Jin turned to face her as Xiaoyu got back into Rain Dance, he attacked with a Back Spin Kick which was dodged as well by Xiaoyu performing a Cyclone Left, which combined a California Roll and a double lift kick off the floor. Luckily Jin blocked the powerful kick but staggered back as a result and blocked once again as Xiaoyu kicked at him again, this time with Mistrust. Jin would pounce off his mark and try to hit Xiaoyu with an 893P Knee Kick combo, but that too was dodged by Xiaoyu's Spin Tornado Up who would then hit Jin with a Double Mat Sweep. The low kick hit twice at Jin's legs causing him to double-back and Xiaoyu followed him along with a double cross-chop move called X Marks the Spot. That move was blocked by Jin who finally got a hit in with a Back Fist to High Side Kick, the kick knocking Xiaoyu back a bit. Xiaoyu tried to recollect herself by attacking Jin with a Fire Dancer combination, unfortunately the 4th attack, which was a behind the back kick like her Dark & Stormy combo was parried by the Kazama and countered with a Spinning Demon, with the first low spin kick taking Xiaoyu off her feet and the second spinning back kick launching Xiaoyu away. Jin now stood in the centre of the dojo, back in control of this match as Xiaoyu rose to her feet. Keeping on the pressure Jin closed the distance with a Spinning High Kick which broke Xiaoyu's guard and followed up with a Flash Punch Combo, knocking her to the ground once more.

Xiaoyu held her head as her felt it buzzing with pain and saw Jin mount on top of her and held her down with one arm and raised his free hand in the form of a fist. The pig-tailed girl closed her eyes tight in terror as she thought she was about to be beaten senselessly. But the punch never came, instead she heard clapping for far away and a hearty chuckle. She opened her eyes and saw Jin still in the same position above her with his fist raised, but the raven-haired teen made no indication of carrying out the strike. Instead as Xiaoyu looked into Jin's eyes, she could have sworn she had seen a tear hanging out of the corner of one of them.

"Very good, very good. The two of you didn't let up for a second! I'm impressed."

Jin quickly backed off and turned his back whilst seemingly wiping something off his face, was it the tear perhaps? Heihachi came into view over Xiaoyu, clapping his hands in approval of the Kumite displayed. Kuma hobbled behind him, clapping his paws together as well. Xiaoyu slowly rose to her feet, rubbing her head in discomfort, luckily the throbbing pain wasn't anything major to the pig-tailed girl as she looked at Jin leaving the dojo in a hurry.

"What's up his ass? HAHAHAHA!" Heihachi bellowed in laughter.

After dinner Xiaoyu was back in her room watching some TV by the lounge in her room, she had already gotten changed into her pyjamas and was now brushing her hair. The pain in her head had gone away and she was now in a state of reflection. Going into the sparring match between herself and Jin, she had felt a strange attraction to him the whole time, even when she first launched him into the air to get him to fight properly. At its conclusion, seeing the tear creeping out of Jin's eye made her think that perhaps he had felt something similar. There was still so much she didn't know about him and it bothered her to no end. After starting to feel a bit tired, she turned off the plasma TV and went to the balcony entrance to close the curtains. The moon was bright outside and it lit up the backyard forest with its luminescence. Xiaoyu got the urge to step outside and bask in the moonlight for a while to clear her head, it seemed to be inviting her to stand under it gaze and touch her soul. Xiaoyu stepped outside and held her arms out and raised her head with her eyes closed, she felt a little silly doing it but that was just how Xiaoyu liked it, silly was her forte.

She opened her eyes and started to turn back towards her room but something to the left of her caught her eye. Two balconies away, someone was sitting in the moonlight with their head down. While she couldn't see the person's face which was in shadow, she could easily make out the spikey hair; it was Jin. He sat with one of his knees to his chest and the other leg sprawled on the floor, his left arm hung over the knee and his right supporting his posture. Slowly he raised his head up the night sky, the moonlight touching his face and exposing tear lines running down his face.

Xiaoyu leaned on the rail of her balcony as she looked at the raven-haired teen with empathy. She wanted so desperately to know what irked the young man who always looked so strong to feel this terrible. Jin seemed to be saying something silently to himself as he looked up and then winced and held his left arm in pain. His eyes shut tight as an invisible wound seemed to be inflicted on him. Xiaoyu gasped which caught Jin's attention and looked to his right to see her looking right at him, a hand covered her mouth and a look of worry adorned her face. Jin quickly rose to his feet and ducked back inside his room and shut the balcony door behind him.

Xiaoyu slowly went back inside as well and closed her balcony door as well. She sat on her bed and thought about what she had seen. Jin had been holding his left arm in the same position that his tattoo was but yet he had been crying about something entirely different before. Had it been because of her? What could she have possibly done to bring up these feelings in Jin? Why did his arm hurt in the first place? The questions would slowly become drowned out as Xiaoyu grew tired once more and sleep would soon follow as well. Her dreams weren't about roller coasters tonight, instead her thoughts would materialise in her head as something different. A boy, and a girl. Walking side-by-side each other. But in-between them was a large chasm, an infinite space separated them and it seemed that nothing would truly bring them together, even though they looked longingly into each other's eyes.

Elsewhere, on the top floor of the Mishima estate. Mr. Mishima was in his private chambers looking at a desktop in the darkness. On the computer screen were two people, both with spiked hair; one was more slicked while the other had bangs at the front. The imagines were zoomed in and enhanced, now Heihachi was looking to two other, equally more important features on the two bodies. The first image showed a man's chest, it had scratches all over it but a large gash was seen predominating all over the chest area and had a pinkish hue to it. The second image focused on the left arm of a man, showing a tattoo.


	16. Common Ground Reached

Chapter 16 – Common Ground Reached

Two teenage girls hurried along the Ginza district of Tokyo, they bounced alongside each other with shopping bags filled with clothes and accessories and huge grins printed across their faces. Posh boutiques and department stores lined the streets and the two couldn't begin to decide where to shop next.

"My arms are hurting Miharu!" squealed one of the girls, "You're taking this 'shop til you drop' stereotype way too seriously!"

"Relax Xiao!" replied Miharu, "We've still got to go to Itoya, it's nine floors of stationary. You've gotta see it!"

Onwards the two friends galloped, it had been just over a month or two since Xiaoyu had started school at Mishima Polytechnical and she and her day one friend Miharu were practically inseparable. They each embodied one another's goals and aspirations to a fault and if they weren't in physical contact with each other, they were still connected over their phones, constantly chatting about anything and anyone. On this weekend, both girls were shopping in Tokyo's Ginza district, its streets were filled with loads of shopping outlets to choose from. They had a Zaibatsu limo waiting for their return further down the street and a very unfortunate Tekken Force soldier shadowing the girls with his arms full of shopping items that the girls had bought, it definitely wasn't the highlight of his career at the moment.

"If your arms are hurting Xiao, give the bags to our friend." Said Miharu.

A groan could be heard from behind, prompting the girls to laugh. They entered the nine floor stationary store called Itoya, the walls were filled to the brim with cards, nick-nacks and other kitsch items to choose from.

"So anyway, how have you been going with Jin?"

Xiaoyu's cheeks blushed a little at the mention of the raven-haired teen, "Oh, just fine. We talk a little longer now-a-days and we're both taking our martial arts training very seriously."

"That's sooo cool, I think I would learn some fighting skills myself; maybe you could teach me sometime?"

"Maybe one day in the future."

"OH that would be great Xiaoyu!"

"Hahaha, I couldn't possibly do it now though, I don't think I've got the aptitude to train anyone right now, I'm still mastering my current Wushu disciplines, and also Grandpa Heihachi told me that…"

"Told you what Xiao?"

"Oh, forget I said anything, I'm meant to keep it a secret for now."

"A secret from who?"

"Umm, Jin."

Miharu eyed Xiaoyu with a thirst for gossip, "Ohhhhhhhh, keeping things from Jin are you? Tell me!"

"No! Relax, it's not like that hahaha! It's meant to be a sort of surprise so I can't afford to say."

"Ohh please tell me Xiao, I'll keep my lips sealed I promise!"

"I'd tell you, but it's meant to be really, really important. Also…"

Xiaoyu pointed to the soldier keeping up behind them.

"Ohh, oh then…" muttered a defeated Miharu.

"I think I'll take these." Said Xiaoyu, holding up a stencil packet and a few stick-it notes.

"Alright, I already have a bunch of stuff here already. What's the time now by the way?"

Xiaoyu checked her wristwatch, "Late enough as it is, I gotta get back home for training with Jin."

"Yeah I bet hahahahaha." Cooed Miharu, blinking her eyelashes repeatedly at Xiaoyu.

"Geez, haha Shut up!"

Xiaoyu paid for the items she got and then the two girls bounded out of the store and down the street towards the limo waiting for them. The driver took their shopping items and along with the Tekken Force soldier, packed the contents into the boot. Soon enough the limo was in motion, Miharu was dropped off at her home with her shopping and Xiaoyu continued on her way to the Mishima estate.

Back at the mansion around the same time, Jin was currently in his room with Natsumi once again, both naked and on Jin's bed. The raven-haired teen was currently on top and thrusting deep and hard inside of her; both were moaning and grunting in the euphoria as they were each reaching their respective climaxes. For Kazama, this was just another method of release from him but he had to get this out of the way soon. Shortly Heihachi would be returning from the Mishima Zaibatsu's private laboratory under Mount Amagi and Xiaoyu was due to back for training later in the day so Jin needed to wrap it up.

"Oooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oohhh, Jinnn….Jinnn, Oooooh, Oooh, Oooh, Oooooh…" Natsumi was swimming in ecstasy beneath of Jin while he was simply grunting in response.

As the two of them started to reach their limit, Jin would grab Natsumi's short, black hair from behind and put his other hand over her mouth to muffle her growing cries. The two rocked in unison and fury and Jin thrusted in deeper and quicker. The smell of sweet sweat hit the air as the bed shook from the violent friction taking place on top. Both of them would cum at the same time with Natsumi screaming into Jin's hand while his body jerked back and forth as the two felt themselves melt into each other. They quivered for a while under Jin slowly withdrew his depleted member and rolled onto his back. He carefully peeled off his condom and discarded it into a waste-bin on the side of the bed and lay in silence as his breathing slowed down. He felt Natsumi move his right arm up and behind herself as she slid into Jin and held his chest.

"That...that, was great…" she heaved through heavy breaths, "I love you baby…"

"…"

"Well?"

"…"

"J…Jin."

Jin looked down from the ceiling and brought his eyes down to Natsumi, she was looking right at him, as if waiting for something.

"What?" he asked.

"Do you love me?" she questioned.

"Oh, umm I don't know right now, I'm tired."

Natsumi's expression got cold, "What does that mean? It a yes or no Jin!"

Jin's expression did not change, "Look, I'm not sure right now okay? Don't bother me with such things."

"Hmm, I guess all you want is a cheap fuck and then to dump me like you did Kiki right?"

"That was over 2 years ago."

"So? You think I'm not aware of the other girls you've been with? How can you be so heartless?!"

"Didn't stop you did it?"

"!"

"What, you think I'm not aware that you're lusting for me? That's why you're here isn't it? I tried to break this off before but you kept coming back. There are plenty of other women who would want to be in the situation you're in but I took you back. Doesn't that say something?"

"What I want to know Jin, is whether or not you love me!" Natsumi had sat up on the bed now.

"And my answer is still the same, I don't know right now. I definitely didn't before but right now I'm not sure so don't bother me with it okay?"

Natsumi opened her mouth to speak but shut it instead.

"Look you need to go now; my grandfather is going to be back soon. Use the-"

"Bathroom as usual, I got it." Natsumi picked up her clothes and walked to the bathroom.

Jin watched her go and then sat up to put on his boxers and a t-shirt. He really amazed himself sometimes at how quickly he could turn the tables of a conversation into his favour. He only took Natsumi back for this one last time, after this he would break it up for good. Lately he had become bored of this practice and felt it might be better to cut off all meaningless flings now that he was in his final year, something inside him seemed to think it was time to grow up from this and become more invested into his martial arts once school ended for him. He felt that something was going to happen soon, his grandfather had been making a lot of arrangements behind the scenes that Jin had picked up on and it would only be a matter of time before these developments were made public to the whole world. Jin pulled out his dark blue and red lined pants out from under the bed and put them on, as he did Natsumi came out of the bathroom all dressed.

"I'll walk you out, how's that?" Jin offered.

Natsumi simply nodded and the two made their way to the door. Jin turned to door handle and exited first.

"Oh, hey Jin!" same a girly voice to his immediate left.

Jin instantly retreated and shut his bedroom door once again. It was Xiaoyu and she was back from shopping in Tokyo it seemed as Jin caught the sight of a Tekken Force soldier holding some shopping bags for the pig-tailed girl. But Jin didn't duck back into his room because of the soldier, they couldn't do anything to him no matter what he did. Sure he was technically breaking a few rules bringing Natsumi here and the Tekken Force were obliged to report back to Heihachi of any happenings of the day, but again, Jin didn't care about that. It was Xiaoyu, he suddenly left repulsed and embarrassed in himself if he were to be seen with his girl leaving this room in front of her. It seemed wrong to him and he had no idea why.

"Jin, what's wrong?" Natsumi asked from behind him.

"Just, shhhh." Came his hasty reply.

A knock came from outside Jin's door, "Jin! Jin, are you there? Pretty sure I saw you, Jin!"

Jin held the door closed and turned to Natsumi and mouthed the words 'bathroom, now'!

"What?"

"Bathroom!" he whispered to her with fury in his tone.

Natsumi shrugged and wandered into the bathroom without a care. Jin calmed himself and opened the door slightly to see Xiaoyu peering at him from the other side. She wore some light blue skinny jeans, a loose white t-shirt with a jpop band on the front and matching white high-heel sandals. Her hair was in its usual pig-tail look and she wore blue ribbons to tie them up.

"What are you doing in the dark Jin?" She asked him.

"What? N-nothing, I was just heading out."

"Heading out, but we're training later on remember?"

"Yeah I know, don't worry. I just need to step out for a bit."

"Very well, me and Miharu were at the Ginza district today."

"That's amazing Xiaoyu, perhaps you should go get changed and head to the dojo before me alright?"

"Uh, ermm okay." Xiaoyu turned to go back to her room down the before turning back, "Um, Jin?"

Jin opened his door a little wider to still see her, "Yeah?"

"Are we ever going to talk about what happened last month?"

"W-what? Last month? Had did we do last month?" he was generally confused.

"I'm talking about when we were on the balcony, you were upset about something after we first sparred."

"Ohh, that. Look it was nothing, just like I told you last time you asked me. Now come on, get ready."

"Fine, fine."

Xiaoyu walked off to her room leaving Jin to sigh deeply. He turned and saw Natsumi waiting for him.

"Are you two together?"

Jin's eyes shot wide open, "WHAT? Wha-no! No, what gave you that idea?"

"She said something happened with you two last month, whatever sparring is."

"Sparring is ACTUAL sparring, we were fighting and-… wait I don't have time for this, you're going, now!"

Jin quickly led her out of his room and out of the mansion to a limo parked outside that had dropped Xiaoyu off. He told the driver where to take the girl and stuffed her inside without much of a goodbye. As the limo rolled away Jin looked to the sky as the familiar sound of a chopper filled the air around the estate. Heihachi had returned. Jin moved back into the house and got changed for training. He was wearing similar training pants to the one he always wore, except this time the flame on the right leg as a mixture of light and dark blue. He entered the dojo and saw Xiaoyu was already there, wearing her original orange qipao top and orange Kung Fu pants. Jin joined her in performing several warm-up exercises and then then to his own side of the dojo and performed a kata. Heihachi then entered, wearing his signature black training Gi and stood in the centre of the dojo watching the two.

"Alright! Kumite!" he bellowed.

Xiaoyu and Jin broke away from their respective corners and joined Heihachi in the centre.

"Let's see how the month has fared for you two. Xiaoyu Ling, you have lost every Kumite you've faced Jin in, I hope that changes soon."

Mr. Mishima backed away from the centre and watched from the background as the two teen warriors got into their own stances. They held for a brief moment and then dashed forward at the same time, Jin started off with a Demon's Paw and Xiaoyu started with a Raccoon Swing. Xiaoyu's kick knocked Jin's fist aside and put her into her Rain Dance stance and followed with a Guard Breaker, a low knee that staggered Jin out of his block, forcing him back a step. Xiaoyu used the space provided to switch into her Phoenix stance as Jin threw a Heavy Body Blow punch which was subsequently dodged. With an opening, Xiaoyu hit Jin twice with the Flower Power jumping kicks and then sent Jin off his feet with a Skyscraper Kick, causing the raven-haired teen to somersault in the air and land on his back.

"Haha, YES!" Xiaoyu exclaimed at her early advantage.

Jin looked at Xiaoyu from the floor with concern, _How'd I let that happen?_ He wondered, he looked over to Heihachi who was still in the background, he wasn't grinning or laughing at the scene before him, he was simply watching. Jin shook off the cobwebs and rose up with a High Side Kick which was blocked by Xiaoyu who reverted back into her Phoenix stance as Jin got to his feet. Jin attempted to knock Xioayu in her low positon with a Spinning Demon but Xiaoyu anticipated the move and performed a Sky Kick, which allowed her to jump safely over the first low spin kick and perform a spinning low kick of her own underneath with the second kick. The move put Jin on his backside again but he quickly recovered this time by rolling out the way, missing a Flapping Wings strike with put Xiaoyu back into Phoenix Stance. Xiaoyu continued her attack her a Firecracker which was a low double leg sweep, Jin however soared into the air with a Demon Scissors which flattened Xiaoyu beneath him as he landed. Though a yelp of pain escaped Xiaoyu, she was able to roll backward to her feet and dodge a Demon's Pedal kick and then block a Shoot the Works combo. Xiaoyu went back on the offensive with a Fortune Cookie but that move was also blocked by the Kazama who then responded with a Parting Wave which although blocked as well, allowed Jin to perform a Mist Step and then launch Xiaoyu with a God Fist uppercut. Jin continued the aerial combo with a Tooth Fairy and then a Three Ring Circus combo, smashing Xiaoyu away from him. Despite the damage he dealt, Xiaoyu started to slowly get to her feet, despite how groggy she looked.

"Stay down Xiaoyu." Jin warned her, "The Kumite doesn't have to go any further."

"N…nope…I'm…perfectly fine." She struggled to say back.

"If you're going to finish it off boy, then finish it!" came Heihachi's voice from behind.

Jin raised his fists and advanced at Xiaoyu once again. In every sparring match they had had, it would only take a combo string like the one he did before to get Xiaoyu to either concede or refuse to get up to, today she seemed to not want the same thing to happen again. All this time she'd been fighting a man who had incredible strength and endurance, unlike any opponent she'd faced before but she'd didn't seem to be afraid of the impossible odds of her success. Sure, this was only a sparring match but the both of them did sort of treat it like a real one at the same time, and everytime, Jin would win. Why would Xiaoyu want to get up this time if everytime before she'd known better than to continue and simply let Jin have the round? Jin was at first bewildered by it, but eventually through the fight that continued further, he began to understand two things. First off; it was obvious that Heihachi had a factor in this session as his reminder to Xiaoyu of her constant loses seemed to remind her of something the two had agreed upon a while back and whatever it was spurred the pig-tailed girl further than before today. And secondly, Jin could help but see Xiaoyu's fearlessness and determination to not quit as a remind of something HE knew a long time ago, or better yet, someone. Someone that always would defend him and give him courage where he needed it the most and never turned down from a challenge. Actually, at that moment, he could think of two people that fit that description.

The match went on with Xiaoyu showing real moxie and guts to stay in the fight, even though every hit that was traded between the two hurt Xiaoyu more than it hurt Jin. Xiaoyu tried one last rally with a Double Barrel Shotgun to knock Jin off his stride and they were both dodged and Jin countered with a Laser Cannon, blasting her away in a backwards tumble. Despite how sore her ribs felt, she still found it in her to get to her feet but it seemed that this would probably be the last time she'd do so. Jin shook his head as with pitying her stubbornness and charged in with a Leaping Side Kick. At the last moment, Xiaoyu sidestepped the attack with a Spinner and ended up directly behind the Kazama. She grabbed his leg and executed a Crank Up grapple, causing Jin to twirl through the air from the momentum and end up flat on his face with force. In that moment Jin forgot where Xiaoyu was and rolled backward who in that time had got into her Hypnotist Stance and paced around the Kazama as he stood, not knowing where Xiaoyu went. When he finally realised his mistake, he turned around to a waiting Xiaoyu, and saw a flash of deadly hands swing over him and smash him backwards into the dojo floor. Xiaoyu had hit Jin with a powerful Thunder Strike which had enough force in it to split a tree. The raven-haired teen crumpled on the floor and let out a cry of pain from the sudden impact.

"ARRRGGH…dammit!"

As Jin tried to rise up off the ground, he felt something hold him down. Focusing on what it was, he was Xiaoyu standing over him with her foot planted right underneath his chin, she looked at him with determination as she starred him down from above. Jin at first wanted to fight off the foot, although he felt a fair amount of pain from the hit he endured, he could still continue. But looking up at Xiaoyu, he saw that there was an incredible want for Jin to just stay down for once, to not muscle out and proceed to take the fight back. As he looked at her again, he could notice how fatigued she was, this was her final gambit; should Jin rise up, she wasn't going to be able to dish out any more punishment. Her eyes told the whole story, a clear-cut expression telling Jin that she NEEDED this, badly.

"Alright, you win." He groaned

At those words, Xiaoyu's foot slid off of Jin and then she proceeded to smile from ear to ear at the news. She started to laugh with joy and hop playfully on the spot with her arms in the air in victory.

"Yes! I win! I win, I win, I win! Hahahahaha Woohoo!" she hollered.

 _Well, at least she still has the energy to celebrate._ Jin though, sitting up on the ground.

Heihachi walked towards the two fighters, "Hmm very good, very good performance to the both of you. I can't be upset with you Kazama; that was a risky move you took at the end Xiaoyu but it paid off in the end."

"I didn't know where she was when I got thrown." Added Jin truthfully.

"Yes, that was your downfall if anything, you should know that it's sometimes a better tactic to play your move off the floor instead of trying to get back into a comfortable position instead. Xiaoyu I'm sure was prepared for that scenario."

"It was just good old fashioned Wushu discipline!" Xiaoyu said, still hopping around.

"Alright if you're both done, we'll be running some final endurance drills to tone the body down and help it relax. On your feet boy!" Heihachi ordered, taking up a stance in the centre of the dojo.

The following day, Jin and Xiaoyu were back for a new week at school. It was lunch and Xiaoyu was sitting with Miharu and their three friends Meeka, Mei-mei and Erikel. Today's topic was which is better, kpop or jpop.

"Jpop is definitely much better!" Exclaimed Xiaoyu, "You can tell that the singer's voices are MUCH more natural and they don't use any voice enhancers, I swear!"

"You're only saying that cause you love Japan." Retorted Meeka, "Take it after someone who's ACTUALLY Japanese, kpop is better."

"Oh yeah? Well as a Japanese girl myself, I say that jpop is better!" chimed in Mei-mei.

"As the NON Asian I think I hold the biggest opinion here," Erikel interrupted with a feinted attitude, "Thing is, kpop artists actually sing in more languages than just their native tongue so obviously they are going to draw in more crowds regardless. It more universal and therefore better."

"So? Kpop is way too sexual anyway, it's ridiculous!" said Xiaoyu.

"Have you seen Crayon Pop Xiao? I beg to differ." Replied Miharu, "And besides, when is that such a bad thing? I'm still split down the middle though."

"Well you have to pick one Miharu to we can settle this." Meeka told her, "SO, which is it going to be?"

"Ummmmm… if I really had to choose…I guess kpop?"

"Oh booo you!" cried Mei-mei.

"Hey I gotta pick a side don't it? I love them both equally."

"But in the end she picks the right one." Erikel says.

"I don't care either ways guys, if I can understand Japanese perfectly, then the fact that they only sing in Japanese doesn't bother me one bit." XIiaoyu told the group.

"Hey Xiaoyu." Came a manly voice from around the table.

The girls turned and saw Jin walk by acknowledging Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu waved back.

"Oh, hey Jin."

She watched him walked to his usual empty table and turned around; the eyes of her friends at her table were all staring at her with grins on their faces.

"What?" Xiaoyu asked.

"Oh, oh nothing," replied Erikel, "Just the fact the he never acknowledges anyone in this school EVER!"

"You two are hitting it off aren't you?" cooed Miharu.

"No! No, we just live together that's all." Said Xiaoyu defensively.

"Anything happen between you two lately?" asked Meeka.

"Nothing honestly, I only beat him in sparring yesterday."

"Sparring? Sparring for what?"

"She knows martial arts Meeka." Miharu answered for her, "She trains with Jin in their Mansion."

"Ohhh how romantic! Is he all gentle?" asked Mei-mei.

"No, we both take it very seriously." Xiaoyu responded.

"Ha! I knew you liked it rough." Said Erikel

The girls had a giggle, meanwhile Xiaoyu felt like her food had gone down the wrong pipe causing her to cough and the girls laughed even more.

"I swear…I'm gonna move tables…" Xiaoyu said between coughs.

"Awesome, then you can sit with Jin!" Miharu said, singing Jin's name.

The girls giggled again, Xiaoyu just groaned at the verbal hole that she kept digging for herself. Later on, Xiaoyu was having her final school period in English class. Their teacher was an American called Mr. Lang who was half Chinese, the lesson was a course for learning English as a second language and was one that Xiaoyu enjoyed, mainly because Miharu and Erikel took it was well. Both Xiaoyu and Miharu took notes off Erikel who already had an understanding of the English language already and mainly took this subject as a bludge period.

"So Xiao," Miharu whispered from one side of Erikel, "Think you and Jin are ever going to go out?"

"Are you crazy?" whispered Xiaoyu from the other side, "Look, I like him just as much as you guys do, but I'm too young for him."

"Yeah for now, but how about when you're older? You'd make the perfect couple!"

"Look Miharu just drop it okay?"

"Yeah Miharu, besides Jin has a thing for women his age or older anyway." Whispered Erikel.

"What do you mean?" asked Xiaoyu.

"Well, I heard that he'd been taking girls out on dates since he was 16. He'd even ask out seniors sometimes."

"What? No way, I've never seen him with anyone."

"Well duh, you've only been here for about 2 months. But Jin's apparently taken loads of women out."

"But I've never seen anyone at the mansion. We're not allowed to bring anyone to the estate, Grandpa Heihachi says so."

"Well, are you sure Jin doesn't break the rules every once in a while?"

Xiaoyu opened her mouth to respond but didn't. Erikel did make a point; Jin was usually acting out of the ordinary at times, even yesterday when she saw him coming out of his room and then went back in when he saw her. Did he have someone inside there with him at that time? His room was all dark and he didn't open his door to her fully, so it's possible. Xiaoyu's thoughts were interrupted by the school bell ringing for the end of the period, time to go home. Student leapt from their seats and made their way to the door, Xiaoyu and her friends packed up and moved together, exiting Building A and making their way out the front. Xiaoyu caught sight of the limo and moved towards it, out of the corner of her eye he saw Jin already with his orange jacket on, heading to his sports bike.

"See you at home Jin!" Xiaoyu called.

Jin heard her and turned to acknowledge her. Suddenly he felt something in him, like a lump in his throat. He wanted to simply reply with a 'sure' or anything of the sort. But the words didn't want to materialise, instead he felt like calling her over and doing something else.

"Umm, Xiaoyu!" Jin called, causing Xiaoyu to turn to face him.

"Yeah?"

Before he even knew what he was doing, he was beckoning Xiaoyu to come over to him. She did so with someone tugging behind her, a girl with short auburn hair that Jin had never seen before. The words started to take form without his thinking, they just happened.

"Do you want a ride?" he asked.

Xiaoyu's jaw hung in shock, "A…ah….uhh…w…"

The girl with Xiaoyu suddenly pushed her forwards abruptly and into Jin. Xiaoyu turned to her in rage.

"MIHARU!"

"Xiao would love to Jin!" the girl yelled at him, "Take care of her! Xiao I'm gonna get a lift home in the limo okay? Sweet thanks bye!"

The girl skipped off to the Zaibatsu limo while Xiaoyu was still in contact with Jin. She quickly remembered herself and stepped off him.

"Oh, sorry, I'm sorry." She said

"It's alright, so you want that lift?"

"Lift?"

"On the bike Xiaoyu, unless you don't want to, I mean that girl answered for you really."

"Ohh, um no, it's fine really. Yeah."

"…what?"

"What?"

"Was that a yes or a no?"

"Y-y-yeah it was."

"…"

"Yes, sorry I meant yes, hahaha."

"Alright, here." Jin chucked her his helmet.

"Don't you need this?" she asked.

Jin had put on some black shades, "I'll manage, who was that girl anyway?"

"Soon to be dead, that's who."

"Ummm, okay."

"I'm joking, her name's Miharu. She like my best friend here."

"Oh that's good," Jin sat on his bike and put his bag under the passenger seat, "Didn't think you made a friend."

"I've made a couple Jin, didn't you see the girls I was sitting with at lunch today?"

"Hmmm, nope. I think I only saw you." Jin paused for a moment thinking about what he'd just said before continuing, "Anyway, hop on back."

Xiaoyu slid on the helmet, it felt a little lose but it didn't feel like it was going to fly off. She walked behind Jin and carefully got on the Honda.

"Did that girl call you Xiao before?" Jin asked.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Nothing, it actually little easier to say than Xiaoyu all the time."

"Well I'm sure no one ever called you by any other nickname, Jin's easy enough.

"Yeah…" Jin could have sworn he'd heard someone say that to him before, "Alright, hold on."

Jin fired up the Honda's 999cc 4-cylinder engine, the black beast roaring to life. Jin revved the engine and then shot off his mark. Xiaoyu in response reached tightly around Jin's waist as she felt herself almost slide off the back.

"Remember, hold on!" Jin said once again.

"FINE JUST DON'T CRASH!" Xiaoyu screamed back.

With her eyes closed inside the helmet, all she could hear was air rushing past and the roaring of the bike's engine as they tore through Tokyo's streets. Jin bobbed and weaved through traffic like he had always done before, pretty much like an expert. He'd only had this bike for under a year, in fact getting it on this 18th birthday but the way he raced through the streets with it, it was like he was a rider for the MotoGP. He could feel Xiaoyu's arms gripping together like a vice grip around him and it made him smile a little. It didn't take long before the Honda screamed out of the city and up along Mt. Odake. Jin found a place to stop for a while and pulled over, Xiaoyu's grip didn't release.

"Xiao, you can let go for now." He told her.

"Are we home?" she whimpered.

"Not yet."

"Then I'll let go when we're home then."

Jin laughed, "Come on, we're just pulling over for now. Have a look."

Slowly, Xiaoyu opened her eyes and saw they were pulled over on a mountain side. In the distance she could see Tokyo city in the late afternoon Sun and barely a cloud in the sky. She just as slowly released her grip on Jin and got off the bike, she could barely walk as her ass felt like it was still vibrating from the bike's engine. She made her way to the railing and sat down on it.

"Next time Jin, don't go that fast okay?"

"Why did you not say anything before?" Jin asked, sitting down next to her.

"Oh that's easy. I literally couldn't." Xiaoyu replied sarcastically.

"Right hahaha, whatever."

The two sat in silence for a bit, looking at the environment around them. They were the only people on this road but you could still hear the faint sound of vehicles further down the mountain. Xiaoyu turned to face the raven haired teen again.

"Jin."

"Yeah?"

"Something's been eating up at you, long before I came here. I don't think I can go on any further unless you tell me what it is. There's so much I don't know about you after all."

"Xiao, I think it's best if you don't know anyway."

"Really, then why did you bring me out here?"

"I don't know, just wanted to get away for a while and I thought I'd bring you along."

"But why me Jin? Come on, I know you want to say something, I'm just trying to make it easier for you."

Jin sighed, she was right. Jin felt an uncontrollable need to open up and it felt like Xiaoyu was the only person who would listen to him. After their sparring match yesterday, Jin had been thinking a lot of himself. It had been eating up at him the whole day and only when he passed Xiaoyu by at lunch did he feel a little better for a moment. She had been bugging him about it ever since he saw her watching him from the balcony. Perhaps it would be easier this way.

"Alright Xiao."

 _Friends and relatives from all over Japan had gathered at Yakushima for a sad affair. In memoriam, a funeral was taking place at the Bai Guyun Water Gap, a nature spot several kilometres South of Miyanoura. The funeral was for Jun Kazama and Jin was in attendance. It had been over two weeks since Jin had last been here, he thought that the procession would be conducted near their cottage but the devastation of the forest around that area had forced Mr. Mishima's hand in setting the funeral somewhere nicer instead. A surprising crowd of people had turned up in private, people that Jin had never seen before. Mostly everyone apart from a small few were aware of the actual nature of Jun's death, everyone else was given the story of Jun being caught in the forest fire. The coffin presented was filled with stone instead of a body, a body that could not be found despite all efforts. Still the idea that Jun's body had perished in the blaze was good enough from anyone who enquired further._

 _Jin couldn't find it in him to shed a tear this day. Everything just didn't seem real anymore, the picture on the coffin a constant reminder of failure in his eyes. To him, he didn't deserve the luxury of weeping for his mother anymore, instead he sat at the front of the ceremony and listened. He listened to the priest giving the coffin its last rites, he listened to the sounds of the nearby trees whistling as the wind flowed through it, he listened to the birds that chirped oblivious to the angel that was gone from this world. This place had been his life, and in it was only his mother. Jun was the only person he felt that he needed, she was calm and benevolent with the forests of Yakushima that surrounded her every day. And now her spirit would remain here for all time, in its preferred home, while the world moved on without her._

 _Jin then felt something kick him in the back of the head, jogging him out of his post-mortem state. He turned and saw a young girl flopped onto her back and her foot in the air just behind Jin's head. The father of the girl looked mortified and pushed the girl's head into the ground and apologised to Jin. Jin simply looked at the girl and smiled for the first time today, in a way, he needed that._

 _After the funeral, it's attendants had gathered at a function hall, closer to the town. Jin was greeted by many of the people there offering their condolences to the 15 year old, he simply bowed and thanked them for coming for his mother. A man standing at the same height as Jin came up to him and offered his hand to be shook. He had long, straight black hair, tied in a pony-tail and he spoke Japanese with the hint of a foreigner._

" _Jin, I offer my deepest condolences for this sad day. My name is Wulong and I knew your mother very well from the third tournament where we both fought. She was an incredible woman and a really gentle soul."_

" _Thankyou Mr. Wulong I appreciate your kind words."_

" _That's okay kid, did the two of you live here all this time?"_

" _Yes, although further up into the forest. It's all unfortunately burned where our cottage was so we couldn't have the funeral there."_

" _There's no problem, at least your mother can rest in the beautiful environment that I knew she loved very dearly, almost as much as she loved you I'm sure."_

" _Thankyou Mr. Wulong."_

 _More friends and relatives came to greet Jin and give their sympathies, during it all Jin was calm, just like he wanted to be, like how she would be. The whole time Jin realised that while only a small few knew of the attack from Ogre, only he and his grandfather knew that Jun didn't just raise Jin. No one knew of Himitsu, at all. Jin's thoughts about his brother rang in his head just as equally as his mother did. The way he looked hung in the back of Jin's head like a sickness that he couldn't shake._

" _Um hey there." Came a voice._

 _Jin turned and saw the girl from the funeral that had accidently kicked him earlier. She must have come from school as she was still in her uniform which was strange as to how it was only 3 in the afternoon. Perhaps the girl had dressed for school but decided to come to here instead, it wasn't any uniform that Jin recognised._

" _Hello." Jin said._

" _Hey, I'm sorry for kicking you earlier. We had been sitting for so long that my legs had become numb as I tried to move a little and well... you know what happened."_

 _Jin smiled at the girl, "It's ok, no apology needed."_

" _Wow, you're so calm. Aren't you upset that your mother died?"_

" _Of course I am."_

" _I guess you're just not showing it then."_

" _Pretty much, I'll have plenty of time afterwards to be sad. To be honest, your kick kind of helped me in a way."_

" _Really? Well, I'm glad to be of service, it's what I do!" the girl smiled back._

" _Hmph, ok then."_

" _Oh by the way, my name is Asuka Kazama." Said the girl._

" _Kazama?" Jin looked a bit shocked, the girl after all shared his last name._

" _Yeah, your mother and my dad were brother and sister. So that makes us cousins."_

" _Wow, I never knew another Kazama…"_

" _Well, now you do!" said Asuka cheerfully, "Anyway I'll leave you alone now, my father would want to get back home now. We came a long way to get here. Again I'm really sorry for your mother."_

" _Ok. Thankyou." Jin replied._

"And that's what I train for. Everyday I have the same goal in my head. When the time comes, I will face Ogre and I'll kill him. There's no ifs and buts about it. He'll pay dearly for what he did to my brother and for taking away my mother. I'll have my revenge and I'll know that the soul of my mother will rest easy knowing that that monster is gone from this world, and only I can make that happen."

Jin finished his story and turned to Xiaoyu, she was looking at him with an expression of sympathy and worry on her face.

"Jin…are you sure you want to go so far as to kill this, this Ogre?"

"Xiao, that thing is an abomination that took the life I had away from me. Everytime I think about my mother and brother I'm reminded of how I failed them that day. I failed to help them fight off that monster. And look at me; I'm living in a mansion with anything I can ever want and my mother is dead and my brother has been in a coma for over 3 years. They're fucking gone and I'm living a happy life, it sickens me!"

"Jin, you don't know if being there for your family would have saved them. There's no reason to blame yourself for what happened."

"But there is! You don't understand, I was useless to them when they needed me the most. Seeing the body of my brother all twisted and blooded, I knew that he gave it everything to fight off Ogre and save my mother. And he still drew breath the next morning! I just woke up like I had a sleep the whole time! I was useless Xiao, USELESS!"

Xiaoyu moved closer to Jin placed a hand on his right shoulder, she could feel him heaving in breaths as he tried to remain calm, his whole body shook.

"Whatever happened that day happened Jin. You should not live out the rest of your life just for revenge, you could get killed from it."

Jin looked back at Xiaoyu, "If that's what happens then so be it. I'll either die or I'll kill him and disappear."

"And go where?"

"I don't know, anywhere. I can't be around people Xiao; I feel like I'm a danger to them more than myself. I feel…possessed."

Xiaoyu grew in concern, "Possessed, what do you mean?"

"I…I don't know; I can't explain it." Jin turned his body to Xiaoyu and rolled up his left sleeve to show the tattoo he had, "This tattoo, I never got it Xiao. On the day I woke up in the forest, it appeared on my arm, and it burned. There are times where I dream and it burns when I do. Whatever it is, it's not good."

"Have you talked to your grandpa about it?"

"No. You're the only person I've told that to."

"Why tell me Jin, what can I do?"

"Just don't tell anyone about it, I'm trusting you with a lot here."

Xiaoyu stood up in front of Jin, the afternoon Sun shone of her back and gave her a glowing image to the raven-haired teen.

"I won't say a word Jin. But you have to promise me that you won't get yourself killed or run away. You're important to too many people to just go away. You're important to me Jin."

"Important? Important for what?"

"Just, just don't leave okay?!" Xiaoyu put both hands on Jin's shoulders and leaned in closer, her actions almost didn't feel her own at this point.

Jin sighed for answering, "Ok Xiaoyu, I promise."

As Jin stood up himself, Xiaoyu rushed in and hugged Jin around his waist and closed her eyes. Jin just stood there taken-back by it all.

"I know that you're upset with how everything has turned out for you and your family," said Xiaoyu still holding on, "But know that you've always got people to watch your back and look out for you, just like me. If you ever need to talk about anything, I'm there Jin, I promise. Just don't leave. Please don't leave."

After a moment Jin gently pulled Xiaoyu off of him, "I know Xiao, thank you for helping me open up a little and thank you for understanding. Now, let's get home."

The two got back onto Jin sports bike and left the mountain-side. Jin went a little slower this time so Xiaoyu didn't feel the need to shut her eyes in fear. She still held on super tight however. In about 20 minutes they had crossed the Mishima land checkpoint and were back at the estate. Xiaoyu got off and headed inside while Jin parked his bike. As Xiaoyu entered she saw Heihachi in the foyer, looking slightly crossed at her.

"About time you got here, I've been waiting for about an hour! How inconsiderate!"

Xiaoyu bowed in apology, "Oh, I'm sorry Grandpa Heihachi, Jin asked if I wanted a lift from school so that's why we're late."

"What? Hmpf! The boy never lets anyone on that bike of his. Anyway I have a surprise in store for you."

Xiaoyu gulped, "W-w-w-what surprise?"

"This surprise!" Heihachi pointed a finger at the door to his right, leading to the dining hall, "You can show yourself now!"

From out of the door came a panda, it walked on its four legs into the foyer and in front of Xiaoyu who was frozen stiff. Suddenly the panda leapt up onto its hind legs and stood towering over the pig-tailed girl and looked down on her.

"Urrrgh."

"A..a-a…"

"This is your new bodyguard." Said Heihachi from behind the bear.

"B-bodyguard?"

"That's what I said wasn't it?! It understands speech and also knows Shin ken like Kuma does. She's to be your protector from now on. Consider it a gift for finally beating the boy."

Xiaoyu kept looking at the bear in shook, this was going to be her protector? It all seemed a bit much, she could definitely handle herself. So why a panda bodyguard?

"What her name?" she asked.

"I don't know, call it Panda for all I care!" Heihachi walked off at that, leaving the two alone.

"Urragg."

A tiny smile could be seen on the panda's face as she and Xiaoyu looked at one another. Xiaoyu returned to smile with one of her own. Very quickly the whole idea of a panda bodyguard was starting to sound better and better.

"Soooo, Panda." Began Xiaoyu, "Umm, what do you wanna do first?"

"Urrr, Urrggrr."

Panda got on all fours again and lowered herself, inviting Xiaoyu to climb aboard.

"Someone else offering a ride? Hahahaa okay then!"

Xiaoyu hopped on top of the bear and with care, Panda started to walk up the stairs with Xiaoyu on her back. Xiaoyu started to giggle and laugh in joy, now this was a ride she could instantly get used to. Jin entered the mansion and watched in utter disbelief as Xiaoyu started to slowly ascend the stairs on a panda he had never seen before. Xiaoyu pulled out her phone and called up her best friend.

"Miharu! You wouldn't guess what I'm on top of right now! Hahaha!"

* * *

(Goodness, this one got longer than originally intended. I felt the flashback was more suitable as the story has already so far given you, the reader, a clear idea on what happened to Jin so I thought that a brief memory of Jun's funeral would do much better. I got the idea from a Tekken Online Comic, which by the way, focused WAY too much on Asuka's tits. It's almost appalling but whatever. Next chapter I promise is gonna be GOOD! Real GOOD! Stay tuned, thanks for everyone who have been reviewing this story so far. I hope you all FAVOURITE and FOLLOW the story as well, it really helps. Anyway, hope you've enjoyed!)


	17. Rebirth

Chapter 17 – Rebirth

 _It just didn't end. The nightmare kept replaying over and over again. The raining of thunderous blows, the feeling of bones breaking, blood filling the nostrils and the mouth, eyes glazing over from the excruciating pain and the forest he called home in a torrent of flames. He'd given it all but now he felt no strength left to fight back and now awaited the sweet welcome of death that would surely follow. The red-eyed beast hoisted his body off the charred ground, ready to deliver the final blow, but instead a strange language followed from the fiend, a cryptic psalm. Suddenly the feeling of sharpened stone pierced into the flesh on top of his head and slowly but agonisingly worked its way down to under the chin, what was going on? The answer came with unspeakable agony as the monster's hand plunged in through the skin and violated his very mind. There was no before or after this moment, only the now, and the now was pure torture. His sight vanished in the rush of it all and he was plunged into a cavern of darkness, feeling every molecule of his body being cut open and inseminated with mindless madness. This was the pinnacle of punishment, total disintegration of body and soul, and he could feel something filling the void, literally tearing his essence to shreds. All the while, his mind screamed for it all to just end, end it all, let him leave this world and leave the pain it gave him._

" _PLEASE! NO MORE! KILL ME! JUST KILL ME ALREADY! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! GIVE ME MERCY! END IT! PLEASE! KILL MEEEEEEEEEE!"_

 _What followed was an eternity of the same thing, over and over. Nothing felt real anymore, he felt insanity taking over as nothing numbed the misery he endured, but somehow he still held on. Flashes of faint memories poked through his torment on a few occasions. Memories of his home, his life, his family. The heart of the forest smiled at him one time, a smile that for a brief second cured him of the monumental suffering he tolerated. Hope showed itself for a brief moment and it gave him strength that he had never felt in eons. The nightmare seemed to dim over time from it, only to be replaced with nothingness over time. Black satin filled all capacity of his universe and tinges of dark green and gold silk lines slithered at rare times. While the pain remained, the visual aspect was gone, now replaced with loneliness just as bad. It looked like he was drifting in a nebula of his subconscious and inside it was a sleeping giant, a form of untold origin. He drifted onwards for an immeasurable amount of time, slowing approaching this giant. While his body no longer held form, his felt fingers of his own reach out to the entity as the final stretch came up, this mysterious object held something in it and he had to know what. Fingers stretched, the centre quivered in his presence, then suddenly red orbs emerged from the centre, and more followed along with it. The blackness was dying away, replaced by the obscure red, memories rushed back into his mind like a tsunami, hitting him with every passage of recollection that caved into him as the orbs surrounded. Fear overcame him as the thoughts of an eternity of torture began to become him once again. With nowhere to run, he could only watch as like vipers, the orbs lunging into him._

"beep...beep….beep….beep….beep….beep….beep"

A constant monotone resonated as his ears came online, the sound at first was just a ringing but slowly morphed into what it was meant to be. He tasted the air around him; stuffy but overall clean, almost artificial, his nose twitched, a deep intake felt the dried snot blocking almost all passage for air to make it past the sinuses. Light slowly emerged yet his eyes still felt too heavy to open. He scrunched them repeatedly, trying to get them to react, sure enough they responded after several attempts and finally the strength to open them came through. The light wasn't really a light at all, as his eyes adjusted he stared at a dark ceiling above him, he tried to move his head but nothing happened. He rotated his eyes around to get an idea of where he was instead, to his left he saw the source of the beeping sound, it was a sort of box with a line that jumped at every sound it made, nothing he knew about at this time. As his eyes looked to the right, he first saw a door closed with a bit of light coming from beneath it, further right he saw two bags with clear liquid in them hanging upside-down. His eyes followed the two tubes coming out of them and saw that one was attached to his wrist and other between his arm on the right side. Looking back and to the left he saw a clip on the index finger of his left hand and following that he saw that it was connected to the beeping machine.

While he couldn't open his mouth to speak, his mind formed the words instead, _What is all this? Where am I? Why can't I move? Who… who am I?_

There were so many questions as to what was going on at the moment but the most important thing first of all was to get moving. The man started the move all parts of his face; squinting his eyes, stretching his lips, moving his nose. He felt so weak and frail that perhaps the slightest wind could take him away and he also felt like there was something on his face but at the time he couldn't really do anything at all, his body was still numb. Gradually once he could freely move his facial features, he started to move his whole head around, in what took about 10 minutes, the man had finally rolled his face to one side.

 _Alright, so far, so good. I'm in a bed, that's for sure. I can't recognise anything though; I couldn't even begin to name off anything significant around me. What time is it? Wait, what day is it? Tuesday...? Not important. Gotta focus, need to get out of this goddamn bed for starters._

With a lot of effort, the man rolled his head back up and tried to get some feeling into his fingers. Nothing happened for minutes and he was beginning to get frustrated. The man clenched his teeth and started to breathe harder as he struggled to get any sort of response.

 _Come on, come on, come on, come on, come, on, come on! MOVE!_

Sounds of exertion came up from his throat as he continued failing to get any reaction from anything below his neck. It was almost becoming too much that the man felt like crying in failure. He eventually calmed himself and thought about smaller steps.

 _Ok. Ok…how about one finger instead, on one hand. We'll start with the righty, come on pointy!_

He turned his head to face his right hand, he stared daggers into his index finger and focused all his latent energy into it. After minutes of intense concentration, a twitch came.

 _YES! YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES!_

One by one, he moved from one finger to the next until after about 30 minutes, his right hand was flexing freely. With childish excitement, he turned to his left hand and restarted the gruelling process. After an equal amount of time and patience, both hands were moving in tandem. With that step down, he started to work his way up; he began to writhe and wriggle his arms and get them to function also. This step came pretty easy and after about 10 minutes he was lifting his arms up off the bed. While they were shaking uncontrollably, they rose up and down pretty well. Now for the big one, his legs.

Slowly moving the blanket covering him out of the way, he finally got a good view of his body. He was wearing a type of gown that went past the knees and was a pale green colour. His feet stuck out at the very end of the bed, motionless and flimsy. It was time to get the rest of the crew fired up. Copying his hand procedure, he focused his attention on the big right toe, as long as that one was swinging, the rest would surely follow. He narrowed his focus and willed the toe to move about. Many minutes pasted by but nothing moved from below the waist, he could smell himself sweat from his fruitless effort. He gave up on the right and decided to try his left toe, again the same application was instilled into his mind, a constant mantra played over and over.

 _Move your big toe. Move your big toe. Move your big toe. MOVE YOUR BIG TOE. MOVE YOUR BIG TOE. MOVE IT. MOVE IT! FUCK!_

Nothing, he was dead down there. His head collapsed back into the pillow and he stared up at the ceiling in defeat, breathing heavily at the same time. Right now, nothing about him or anything else mattered anymore. All he wanted more than anything in the world was to get out of this bed and onto his feet but there seemed to be no way to get his legs to move in the slightest. He looked around once more in an attempt to get a bearing on where he was. If he had to take a random guess, he was probably in a hospital. There was a window to his left that was shut with the blinds fully down and he could see there was no light coming from outside, so maybe it was night-time. He was in a hospital, in the middle of the night, stuck in a bed with no way to move himself out of it and on top of everything, he was wearing a dressing gown. The man breathed in and let out a huge sigh. He thought about trying to call out for help but decided against it, he had no idea where he was so in a worst case scenario; if he called out to someone and they weren't friendly, he would definitely be in a lot of trouble. No, this had to be done in his own. He had already come this far, his arms and head were moving and now his body and legs would have to follow. Still, his feet weren't going to move on their own.

 _Alright, if my legs won't touch ground, then the ground will just have to touch feet._

The man started to use his arms to sit up more properly, the tubes were still stuck into his body and would have to be dealt with. Once sitting up straighter, the man started to pull out the tubes on his right. It hurt when he pulled but soon enough, both were out of his body. He then used his now free right hand to take off the clip on his left. While he could move his fingers, they still couldn't grip anything with force and the clip was holding on tightly. Eventually the man found the strength to unfasten the clip and striped it off. The machine's beeping turned into a long, loud tone which freaked him out a little but thankfully he saw a switch on the machine and after pressing it, it turned off completely. Now came the new tougher part, he looked around once more and weighed up his options. There was the door out of the room to his right but there was another door on the wall in front of him. It was open and the man could see a bathroom. Deciding that it was better to not step out of the door just yet, he opted to head to the bathroom first. With that, he started to move his upper body to the edge of the bed and in one valiant effort, threw himself off the bed and onto the ground. He hit the ground rather hard with his head and shoulders taking most of the impact, it hurt like hell.

"NNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGH…."

Fighting through the pain, he started to wiggle and crawl with his arms into the nearby bathroom. For the most part, he was simply flailing around like a fish out of water as his arms refused to get traction on the cold floor. It took a few minutes but soon he was crawling into the bathroom and looking for anything noticeable. Turning onto his back he looked up and saw a sink cupboard and a mirror above it and figured out it was best to get a look at himself properly. He worked his way across the bathroom floor and made it to the cupboard, reached out and tried to get a grip at the top. Once he saw it was too far, he started to move his back up against the cupboard instead but as close he got to the top, his legs wouldn't help out. He stayed, positioned against the cupboard with his arms clawing at the top, trying and failing to get a proper grip. With every unsuccessful attempt he grew more flustered and agitated, unless he could get his legs to move, he was never going to climb to the top. Minutes rolled on by as he kept on trying to grab hold. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, his hands caught the edge of the sink above. Unfortunately, as he moved an inch off the ground his grip have way and he slipped down and ended up on the ground again. The man cried in anguish; tears filled his eyes as he lay in turmoil on the cold floor and wept bitterly. He felt so hopeless and weak to not be able to even stand on his own two feet and look himself in the mirror, it just wasn't fair.

A solitary thought flashed across his mind at that moment of despair; a vision of a beautiful forest, flowing streams and a symphony of birds and critters chirping and called from all around. It the centre of the image was a women dressed in a white dress that moved in the wind. Her hair was a radiant black and shone in the daytime, hanging just above shoulder length. Her face was a porcelain white, her eyes were striking and confident and the smile she had on her face could melt your heart. She was the Angel of the Forest and her expression read just two simple words: get up.

The man's eyes snapped open, a fire of determination burned inside them as he moved back to the cupboard and continued his impossible feat. He worked his body once again up the side and reached up to grip the sink above once more. With the will of a god he started to pull himself upwards, he moved by the nanometre but still he pulled, the mantra screamed inside his head as he put superhuman effort into this mundane but incredible task at hand.

 _GET. UP. GET. UP. GET. UP. GET. UP. GET. UP. GET. UP. GET. UP. GET. UP. GET. UP. GET. UP. GET. UP._

With the velocity of a slug climbing a wall, so did he. Bit by bit he ascended and so too did his spirit. He felt the unbelievable sensation of his feet started in tingle and twitch as they slowly got feeling back into them. Further he climbed, what looked like a few inches to anyone else felt more like 1000 miles to him. Still he pulled upwards, his arms finally started to bend and his legs locked into place as they found the ground beneath them. Pulling turned into pushing as both arms and legs started to straighten out, sweat poured down his head and his entire body shook in a combination of nervousness and resolve as he started to stand, his eyes were fixed on his hands gripping the sink that turned whiter than white and sweat made them slippery. Finally, he started to unhook one finger after another, releasing his hold of the sink. His back started to straighten and his eyes moved upwards and looked into the mirror before him, he had done it.

As his body shook with each raspy breath, he stared into himself and looked upon a face he didn't recognise. A huge bandage was vertically wrapped over the right side of his face, just missing the right eye and his mouth. He didn't understand why it was there; now that feeling was back in his body, he didn't feel anything under it. Seeing as it served no real purpose, he started to undo the bandages. He started with the layers covering the top of his head and below his jawline which seemed to be there to keep it in place. Removing the top, he saw long oily hair start to drop down that went below his shoulders and remained sort of stiff and spikey around certain areas; it had the look of a mane more than anything, a real intimidating sight. Slowly he started to work on the main area, the bandages that actually covered his face. Layer by layer was peeled away, move of his hair started to pop out, revealing white strands of softer hair that didn't stiffen like the rest. He continued and started to see glimpses of what lay behind them, the skin behind it was a crusty white as well. He grew fearful but persevered until the last layer came off.

His eyes widened as he looked in horror at his appearance. Running down from the white hair strands, between his nose and the right eye, around his mouth and down his chin was a deep, white scar. And looking into it, the man felt all his memories of his past rush back to him all at once; _The Orphanage, Street brat, Ninja Swordsman, 20 Buster, Kagoshima, The Secret Stash, The Buddhist Temple, The Cottage, Jin Kazama, Jun Kazama, Himitsu…_

"Himitsu…Himitsu…my name… That's my name…"

His head was spinning so rapidly that he had to hold onto the sink again. Memories of the night before this started to come back to him; a large humanoid had attacked him and his family. He fought the creature but lost, and yet instead of dying, something happened, the scar happened. That monster did this to him and that's why he's here now. But now that the mystery was gone, a new one had come about; where was his family? He had to find them. He looked again at himself, now in a new light. He looked different, thinner, much thinner.

"How long was I out?" he said to himself.

Deciding it was time to move, Himitsu slowly stumbled his way out of the bathroom and towards the door leading out of the room. His steps were heavy and slow; he just didn't have the right energy to move them properly. He gently opened the door and peered outside into a lit corridor that was mainly white apart from a few black lines on the walls and the carpet floor. Seeing the carpet made Himitsu a little bit happy as at least it would muffle his movement. He stepped out, closed the door behind him and started to walk unhurriedly, taking note of anything around him that could give him some information. He soon heard the sounds of footsteps in front of him and ducked into a room next to him. He left the door slightly ajar and saw two women dressed in a light blue walking by, _Nurses maybe?_ He looked behind him and saw an elderly patient with a breathing tube on a bed, next to him were many flowers, mainly white lilies. There weren't any flowers in his room, not that that's a bad thing but it looks like people here are visited often. This begged the question as to whether Jin and Jun had been here to visit him. Were they even here at all? Himitsu turned back to see the nurses no longer in sight and quietly exited the room. With every step that he took, Himitsu felt strength start to come back to him as he continued. After turning a few corners he came up to an empty help desk, he walked inside it and saw a layout of the hospital, the words Kyoto caught his eye.

 _Kyoto, that's pretty far from Yakushima, what on Earth am I doing here?_

On the layout he figured out that he was on the 12th floor and that there was an elevator further down the hall to his right. Before leaving he looked over the desk for anything useful and in a drawer found an ID card and a set of keys attached to it that belonged to a male nurse. Thinking it might come in handy he took them with him and headed for the elevator. He had to duck into a few rooms on the way to avoid other hospital staff but gradually reached the elevators. Once inside one he pressed the ground floor button but nothing happened, looking around the terminal he saw a key card swipe pad.

"Well thank you my nurse friend." Himitsu said smugly as he swiped the ID card and a ding was heard.

He went to press the ground floor button again but stopped and looked at the ID card and the keys it had, one of the key looked like one for a car and an idea popped into his head. He pressed the button for the underground parking instead and the elevator quickly dropped down. The doors opened and Himitsu stepped out into a carpark half filled with cars. He knew that the staff here would probably have an allocated spot for them to park and went in search of it, luckily the search ended quick as Himitsu saw that the car key had a button on it and pressing it a continuous car horn could be heard not far away, putting two and two together Himitsu went in the direction of the noise and found a small hatchback parked in an employee's spot. Himitsu took the key and inserted it into the car's key hole and turned it to a delightful click. A sigh of relief came out of Himitsu as he sat in the vehicle with the taste of freedom only moments away. While he had never driven a car before he had watched people multiple times driving them around the edge of Yakushima and had an understanding on how to control a vehicle and the car he sat on now being an automatic helped a great deal. Before starting the motor, he searched around the car for anything else useful to him. He opened the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat and found a thick notebook, a pen and a couple rego papers. Stealing a car was a new one for him and he knew that the nurse using it doesn't really deserve to have it stolen, he decided to write on the notebook a little message for the nurse when he eventually comes to find out his car is gone:

 _To the nurse I stole their car from, I'm truly sorry and deeply apologise for my theft but I have a real need for it right now. I promise to bring this car back one day in the future and I'll leave you a little money for your trouble also. Once again, really sorry that you're the unfortunate one today but thanks in advance._

With the message written he put the notebook under the car so it wouldn't get squashed and then started up the engine, bringing the car to life. In the middle console of the car a small screen displayed the time reading 4:41am and also the date which showed the year as 2012. Himitsu stared at it in astonishment.

 _2012? No that can't be right….that…that would mean…3 years! Oh god no!_ he shuddered at the thought.

If that date was right, he'd been in this hospital for over 3 years. It would have been 3 years since that attack at Yakushima, 3 years since he'd last seen his family, Jun and Jin. He felt like throwing up at the thought. Himitsu shook his head and re-focused. Now was not the time to go over these ominous thoughts, he had to get to Yakushima fast and find his family and put everything right. He took the car out of Neutral once he realised he was revving on the spot, took off the handle brake and carefully drove the car out of the carpark, using the ID card to get through the gate. He ended up in a city he'd never been before, Kyoto. He didn't even know where to begin. After stupidly driving around in circles he pulled over and inspected his vehicle for any maps to help him. He then turned his head back to the console and looked at the screen again. He saw a menu button and pressed it, he recognised the word GPS and pressed it. After inputting Kagoshima as his destination, he finally had his bearing. The fire of determination lit inside the lionheart once again and he took off once more, leaving the hospital behind, it was time to go home.

* * *

(BOOM, Mits is back up and running! I had always planned for him to come back at this time and from reading everyone's reviews, he couldn't have come back sooner. There's been a bit of talk in the reviews about Himitsu's character and his "inner" self. I can tell you that in the future your theories on him will come to light. Is he good? We'll just wait and see. I put a lot of articulation into this chapter as I felt that it needed to be meaningful in its obscurity and I'm pretty sure I've nailed it. Tomorrow my university studies are back on so if chapter's are long, they may take two days now to come out. Still, I think I've written up a pretty good story so far that stands on its own already. Anyway, Enjoy!)

p.s. As a little post edit, edit: I wanted to punch forward a little song that helped me write up this chapter. Most of the time I listen to a lot of instrumentalists like Estas Tonne, who I've noted Himitsu's guitar skills off of. But for this one I listened a lot to "Demons" by "Been Obscene". They're an Austrian band and I feel that a lot of parts of the song was infused into the chapter itself. I wish for anyone reading this to check it out, a simply youtube search should do the trick. I think I may refer to it as Himitsu's official theme song. It's dark and powerful like he is so if you have the time, listen to it please.


	18. Bittersweet Reunions

Chapter 18 – Bittersweet Reunions

Heihachi had been standing there for a while now and Harada and Hayley stood silently behind him waiting for the outburst to follow. It was going to happen, very soon, they could feel it rising up further and further as the Head of the Zaibatsu kept his lips sealed shut. Mr. Mishima was staring into an empty hospital room that had once had a certain patient here, and now that patient had vanished.

"I think I'm going to need you to explain everything once again to me doctor, for I appear to be in a state of confusion." Heihachi said to doctor Hayley without turning to face her, still staring inwards.

"What are you confused about Mr. Mishima?" she asked, fearing the answer to follow.

"Oh nothing really; just the fact that a 6' man in a coma for over 3 years just woke up and walked- no, DROVE out of this hospital, and for some reason, no one saw him leave."

"I can only tell you as much as I can, I wasn't here after all."

"Really? Oh well that clears you of all blame from this for sure. Except one little, tiny detail that I seem to recall."

"And that is?"

"I couldn't help but remember you saying that the potato's rehabilitation would be, and I quote; long and strenuous."

"That's…correct."

"Well then," finally Heihachi turned to face them, his face red with anger, "that leaves me with my question then. HOW THE HELL DID A MAN WHO UPON WAKING UP WOULD BE COMPLETELY DISABLED JUST GET UP AND LEAVE!"

Like it was instinctual, Harada was already behind the doctor as Heihachi sprayed her with his question, literally. Mr. Mishima was heaving with every breath, someone was going to pay for this mishap, dearly. And right now, his sights were set on the doctor in front of him.

"Mr. Mishima I assure you, I couldn't even begin to know!" Hayley confidently retorted, "This is nothing short of a fucking miracle and I am at a loss of words myself!"

"Was he helped?!"

"No, I checked the cameras myself. He was walking on his own."

Heihachi started pacing around the room to control his rage, "Long and strenuous, long and strenuous, long and fffFUCKING STRENUOUS!"

"Look, I could stand here and come up with shitty excuses for how this happened okay?! But I am being completely blunt here, he should NOT have been able to walk. We have daily check-ups on all our comatose patients, TWICE, him included and there was no sign of him waking when he was checked yesterday afternoon. For him to wake up in the middle of the night, stand on his own two feet and leave this place defies all logic, BUT THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED AND NO ONE CAN BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH AS ACT!"

Heihachi marched over and put his face right in front of Hayley's staring he down like she was an insect to him.

"Don't you yell at me you bitch! I can blame whoever I want for this, even you!" he sneered

The doctor scoffed, "Don't think I'm scared of you, old man. Even your hair's getting ancient."

Heihachi moved his head away and stood at full height, a smirk came up on one side of his face.

"Hmpf"

In a flash, Heihachi's right hand rose up from his side and when across the doctor's face with a loud slap. Hayley's face followed right from the hit and nearly went into the face as a result. She slumped onto the floor, holding the left side of her face which now burned a white hot. Heihachi turned to his advisor.

"Harada!"

"Y-yes Mishima-sama?" the advisor quickly said.

"I want any and all records of the boy erased from all our databases, he was never here."

"Right away sir, shall I issue a task force to be sent out to apprehend the boy?"

"…No, I'm sure he'll find us instead."

Erasing Himitsu's records would be an easy task for Harada to carry out. Up until Himitsu was admitted to the Mishima Medical Facility in Kyoto, he had no records to speak of. He didn't have a birth certificate, no family records were known to exist and he didn't even have a legal name or any method of identity. A quick phone call to the Mishima Zaibatsu's main office in Tokyo and all information gathered in the 3 years was wiped.

...

Meanwhile in Kagoshima, a small hatchback pulled into an alley by an old building. The engine is switched off and the driver puts his head on the wheel and exhales so deeply it was like he had held his breath in for ages. Himitsu had been driving from Kyoto for 7 hours straight; he had slowly circumnavigated terrible traffic, nearly hit multiple vehicles and missed numerous turns he was meant to make on his way. On top of that, he drove at a speed of between 20-24 miles from most of the duration, too scared to climb any over. Still, he had made it to the streets he knew all too well, where he had fought for his share when he was about half the size he is now. Kagoshima was like a breath of fresh air for him and he felt that he was just a stone's throw away from his family, he hoped.

Taking his head off the steering wheel, he pulled down the driver seat's Sun visor and had a close look at his face. Moving the wavy white hair strands away, he inspected the gnarly scar he wore from the top to the bottom of his face; it was a crusty white that came up like the earth in a tremor and in-between had the gap of a fissure. What was interesting were the cracks around the scar itself; you'd have to be looking as close as Himitsu was to see that they were shaped in some sort of jagged pattern, almost like they were intentionally scratched in that way. Seeing it as purely coincidental, Himitsu averted him eyes from the scar and looked to his jawline. He hadn't noticed on the night he had woken up but he now had a bushy beard, something that he'd have to take care of soon enough. It served as a reminder that he'd been out for a long time, the fact that it had been 3 years just couldn't get old to the lionheart but his face showed the evidence. His cheeks looked hollow and empty, just like most of his body, he'd lost a lot of muscle as a direct result of his motionless state and it would have to be rectified soon enough.

He stared out the window to the entrance into the building he knew all too well, the place of his childhood dreams and ambitions. The rewards of his struggle as a youth lay inside, his secret stash.

 _Soon I'll be out of this fucking dress and off to Yakushima._ He thought to himself as he got out of the car. Suddenly a rumble was heard, something that could not be contained any longer reared its ugly head. Himitsu fell to his knees from the pain.

"OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH…Alright, I'll get food as well." He said to himself in discomfort.

Himitsu entered the old building complex and started to head underground on the same route he'd always took passing spider webs, dripping pipes and blankets hung on the walls. He found the blanket he'd recognise anywhere as the one he loved the most, moved it away and started to do the same to the rock slabs that covered the way also. While they were heavier than he imagined, he moved them all aside and peered into a space he hadn't laid eyes on in over 8 years. It was all still there. Under the pale light of the underground lamps, his treasure still remained, his Himitsu. A warm smile ran across his face as if he was looking at a dear old friend, this bounty was a motivation that he thought would never endure for this long and was the key to getting back home.

 _Might take a few items to finally pawn off, there should be a few places around here that'll paid a few bit for some of this stuff._

He reached in and pulled out a few antique katanas, some jewellery and the model of a 12th century Junk boat. The items he held he believed would be all worth about 200,000 yen and would do for a while. As he laid the objects down he started to put the slabs back in place but stopped when something inside caught his eye. He pulled out a briefcase tucked inside the stash that he'd never seen before, on it was a strange symbol that he swore he'd seen somewhere. His interest got the better of him and he opened it up; inside was full of cash, probably several million if he had to guess right. Who could have left this? He gazed at the money dumbfounded and eventually decided to put it back in for now. If he came back he'd probably put it to use then.

After leaving the building, he put his hoard into the hatchback and drove off. In a matter of an hour, he'd pawned the items off for about 176,000 yen, not what he originally hoped but he wasn't in the mood to barter. He quickly made way for the closest restaurant he could find and started to gorge on stacks and stacks of food, satisfying a 3 year hunger. His bill coming to over 22,000 yen. Other patrons gawked at him while he ate and he couldn't figure out whether it was because of the food, the scar on his face or the hospital gown he still wore. Once filled, he made way for a clothing shop and got something decent to wear. He left wearing dark blue jeans with chain accessories and a dark silver windbreaker with the hood over his head, he left the gown in the changing room.

Once prepared he headed to the docks, leaving the hatchback in a secure spot. It didn't take long to find a boat that was ferrying people to his destination and he hopped on board. It was just after midday now; the seas were getting a little rough as it was pretty windy and Himitsu was struggling to deal with his new white hair that kept loosely waving over his face, disorientating him. His normal black hair was all ridged and could be held in a desirable spot away from his face but this one wasn't cooperating. He kept blowing on it, getting more frustrated each time it rested on his face; he'd never cut his hair before but he was thinking of making an exception in this case. His antics had caught the attention of a man next to him who was looking at Himitsu with an amused smirk that the lionheart caught up on.

"Am I bothering you?" Himitsu asked snidely.

The man had a chuckle to himself, "No not really, but it's clear that your hair is bothering YOU, why not cut it?"

"I haven't had the time lately." The lionheart replied.

"Very well, I won't ask you any further if you want to be left alone."

"No, no it's ok. I'm not trying to be rude or anything., Actually I think it's just been a long time since I've talked to someone."

"Really? Well I never picked you for the lonesome type if I'm being honest."

"Let's just say I've been thinking a lot more than speaking if that means anything to you."

Another chuckle from the man, "I'm afraid I'm not following hahaha."

 _What the fuck am I doing? He doesn't know you were in a fucking coma Himitsu!_

Himitsu cleared his throat before continuing, "How about a change of subject, why are you heading to Yakushima? You live there?"

"No, I'm just visiting to pay my respects to my late sister. You?"

"Well I used to live here myself, I'm hoping that my family are still here themselves, although I'm not hopeful."

"That sounds worrying, how come you haven't been in contact with them?"

"I've….I've been a little out of the loop lately and I've only now been able to get back here."

At the moment, Yakushima could be seen over the waves in front. Himitsu sat up while keeping his hood well over his head. Luckily the right side of his face was facing towards the man he was talking to, otherwise he might have seen it. Also the white hair did a pretty good job covering the scar itself as it hung in front of it so at least from a distance it wasn't noticeable.

Himitsu took a deep breath, "It's been too long since I've been here, three years if you believe it."

The man's cheerful expression dampened a little hearing that from what Himitsu could see.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, just that it's been three years since my sister left this world, everytime I come here I want to leave in high spirits but I can't seem to do so. I miss her deeply." The man looked morose that this point in time.

"Ohh…I'm sorry if I brought up anything bad." Said Himitsu trying to console the person, "Listen I've got a bit of time to spend, how far is your sister from Miyanoura?"

"Not…not far. You're not thinking of accompanying me are you? I assure you I don't need any help."

"I know, but seeing how you feel about your sister reminds me of the family haven't seen for years now myself. I would consider it an honour to pay my respects too if that's alright?"

The man smiled a little at that, "Ok then, I won't be long though."

"Neither will I."

With the boat in the dock, Himitsu and the man stepped off and walked through the market hub of the island. It was just how Himitsu remembered, it was nice to see that nothing much had changed in this place. It was a welcome sight, like he had never left. He followed the man out of the town and went south.

"How far is it again?" Himitsu called from behind.

"Oh, about 20 minutes away I think, you sure you want to continue along?"

"Yeah I'm sure, in fact it's sort of on the way to where I need to go, I was just a little surprised is all. As far as I can remember, there isn't any graveyard out here. Or was she cremated?"

The man turned to Himitsu as if he'd said something wrong but quickly continued walking instead.

"No, she's buried." He replied, "At the Bai Guyun Water Gap up ahead."

"Bai Guyun? Why there?"

"She couldn't be buried near her home so the people in charge of the funeral decided to have it there. It's good cause she always loved nature, even as a little girl."

"Oh." _….Wait what?_ Himitsu found that a bit strange to hear, and also coincidental too.

"If you don't mind me asking," Himitsu continued, "How did she die?"

The man's shoulder drooped at the question, but nonetheless he answered, "There was a fire, no one really knows what happened. Her son survived but she was nowhere to be found; a real tragedy it was…"

The man continued to walk and Himitsu continued to follow in a daze, not saying another word until they had reached the Water Gap. The scenery here was breathtaking, everything here from the trees to the water seemed to shine with brilliant colours as the two continued on but Himitsu couldn't think about it, all that mattered to him was that this man's sister wasn't who he was starting to think it might be. After crossing a bridge Himitsu found himself at the edge of a beautiful valley, on the other side was a waterfall. Himitsu stopped as the man continued, he couldn't take another step out of fear as the man walked onwards and came to a formation of little rocks and pebbles which signified a grave, lone and solitary in this place of nature. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a branch of a cherry blossom in bloom. He placed it on the grave and then bowed in head in remembrance, he didn't stay long and soon enough got up to leave. He turned and saw that his companion had not moved from the spot he was standing in prior, his expression was blank.

"Are you alright?" the man asked when he approached him.

"Yeah." Himitsu could only utter that reply.

"Well," the man said dusting his jacket slightly, "I'll be heading off, it was nice to meet you…. Did you tell me your name before?"

Himitsu slowly turned to him, "No….I guess I didn't. It's H-… it's Mits."

"Mits? Must be short for something I'm sure. Well Mits, it's been nice to meet you and maybe our paths will cross again in the future. I wish you luck in finding your family."

As the man started to leave, Himitsu quickly called out to him, "Wait!"

"Oh? Yes?"

"You didn't say your name either, could you tell me your last name?"

"Why my last name?"

"Just…please."

The man sighed, "It's Kazama."

"…"

"…Well?"

"bye." Came the silent reply.

Seeing no reason to hang around any longer, the man turned to leave. Himitsu watched him go with his face started to go whiter than the scar he had, he felt a chill crawl down his spine and his knees shake. He slowly turned towards the grave and moved sluggishly over to it, every step feeling heavier than the last. Every fibre of his body praying that it wasn't who he thought it was. It was just a coincidence that the man's sister died 3 years old. It was just a coincidence that she was buried in a place of pure natural beauty because that's what she loved. It was just a coincidence that a fire was involved. It was just a stupid coincidence that the man's last name was Kazama. Just a coincidence.

On the tombstone, in clear gold print was the name Jun Kazama.

Himitsu simply stared as the words, the name itself in plain view. He couldn't move, his mind was a blank and his breathing slow. Before long, he felt his legs give way as he fell to his knees and his head gradually dip towards the floor before him. It was worse than the nightmares he had suffered in his sleep and it made the pain he experienced on that dreadful night amount to nothing. He was in a temperament that was beyond grief as he looked to the ground, tears wouldn't show themselves and he could even say anything either. Everything just felt futile at this moment and nothing could be done to fix it.

 _It's not fair, it's just not fair. All of it, unfair…_

He shot to his feet and ran from the grave. Urgency and denial clouded his mind as he ran in the direction of the cottage, not slowing down for a second. He glided past trees and fallen branches as he sprinted onwards. Before long the green of the forest looked different, like a fire had been through here. The grass at his feet was growing back in patches as the soil looked dark and barren in certain areas, the trees were a mixture of new life growing on them and charred bark standing dead. Himitsu's breathing had become agitated as he continued onwards, everything looked different for the first time he was here and the growing revelation frightened him to the core. When he finally reached the cottage, he had to hold onto a nearby tree to stop himself from falling to the ground at the sight. What was left was merely rubble; the place he had come to love was broken and smouldering in a grotesque heap, a tell-tale reminder of the events that transpired here.

The lionheart wanted to speak, he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. But nothing came out, his sorrow was too great to express any form of grief. All he could do was run; he ran through the surrounding forest looking all over the barren woodland from Jun, his frantic searching the only way to convey a shallow sense of denial that he still clung onto. It just couldn't be true, it couldn't have happened to her, not her. She didn't deserve to leave the world like this, to leave him. Jun had been a silver lining in Himitsu's hopeless life. Even as a child he contemplated his own demise, he wished it to end so many times and the dangerous things he did was just a way to speed up the process. The things he stole, it wasn't like he did it without anyone looking, he wanted to be caught and beat up at multiple occasions and a couple times that happened. He welcomed the pain that came with it as he hoped that the next punch could bring his pitiful life to a close, but it never happened. The times he had run into ruthless people like the 20 Buster gang, subconsciously he hoped that they could be the ones to carry out the deed, but somehow he survived if not by divine luck then by the grace of someone else. Jun was one of those people and her care for Himitsu gave him hope that there was a place in this world for him after all, Jun made life worth living for him. Here in the forests of Yakushima, he felt alive and worth something for once. But now there was nothing, just loneliness and all purpose of life departed from him.

He roamed the forests for hours, into the evening when night descended and cut off his sight, but he kept looking. Whether he was looking for Jun or just a reason to continue living had become one and the same thing, and before long his body grew immensely tired and he collapsed into the dirt and slipped out of consciousness.

...

"You've been really quiet grandpa Heihachi, is anything wrong?"

Heihachi looked up from his food at Xiaoyu, he hadn't eaten as much as he usually did after the long day. His workload in Tokyo had been surprisingly tiresome and the early wake-up to find Jin's adopted brother disappeared hadn't helped the day at all. He had refrained for telling anyone of what transpired that morning, especially to his own grandson. The only people with knowledge of it were Doctor Hayley and Harada and even they weren't allowed to discuss it with each other. Such confidential information that related to the Zaibatsu would never be mentioned unless the head was in ear shot and fully aware and okay with the discussion of classified information to take place. He had half a mind to tell his grandson but went with the other half that felt it would lead to more problems than solutions. Right now he guessed that the boy was back on that island of theirs' doing who knows what.

"I've just had a long day is all Xiaoyu." He finally replied.

Xiaoyu saw there was more to it and decided to get Jin involved, he was currently still eating like a horse and hadn't bother to look up at anyone for a while. Xiaoyu picked up a pea from her dinner and chucked it across at the raven-haired teen, grabbing Jin's divided attention. When he bothered to look up, Xiaoyu moved her eyes in the direction of his grandfather, wanting him to contribute something.

Jin rolled his eyes but decided to play along, "What happened today?" droned at Heihachi.

"Hmpf!" he knew all too well that that Kazama wasn't the least bit interested.

The two went back to eating leaving Xiaoyu to look back and forth between the two at their lack of communication. It was insane how rarely they connected, Jin needed to have some sort of paternal appreciation of his grandfather and Heihachi needed to show a bit more interest towards his grandson. Lately they've just been too distant and it was worrying Xiaoyu. Panda then came into the dining hall in a hurry and situated herself between Xiaoyu and Heihachi looking a bit timid.

"Uuurr urraagh urrgh, rrrrh, uooaaaaar!"

"What Panda?" Xiaoyu asked with concern.

"Grrrhh uuurr urrgaa."

Xiaoyu looked to the door out of the dining hall and saw Kuma peering in from the door, he was looking at Panda only with apparent interest as Panda had roughly put it. The pig-tailed girl turned to Heihachi to relate for Panda.

"Grandpa Heihachi, Kuma won't leave Panda alone, he's bothering her all the time."

"…"

"Grandpa Heihachi!"

A groan escaped Mr. Mishima's lips, "Kuma, leave the other bear alone!" he didn't even look at Kuma to acknowledge him.

Kuma's head slowly receded from the doorway and out of sight. Heihachi didn't need this type of drama right now. He was busy at work preparing for a grand event to take place soon, he was going to host another Tekken tournament and hopefully it would lure Ogre to the bait, his grandson. Jin had been a very capable fighter and was even rivalling his own skill. Heihachi hoped that this would be the opportune time to finally get his hands on the power that the God of Fighting possessed, and as for Jin; the Head of the Zaibatsu was going to have to make a decision in the near future, a decision that may hit two birds with one stone. For now, that decision would have to wait.

...

Daylight peeked through the canopy and down to the forest floor of Yakushima. Himitsu lay face down on the ground; half asleep, half not wanting to move another muscle for the rest of his life. His hair lay over his face and covered him from the light had tried to reach his eyes. He was content with staying in this spot until he died and hadn't the slightest inclination to get up for anything. A whole night of searching the forests in vain had reaped no benefit to his psyche and had left him deeply depressed as a result. As the Sun tried to shine through, a light tugging could be felt in front of the lionheart and after a while of it not desisting, Himitsu lifted his head to have a look. In front of him was a Red Squirrel who was playing with his hair in an oblivious manner.

Himitsu sighed deeply at the show of affection he was receiving from the annoying critter, "Leave me alone." He mumbled at it and put his head back down.

Feeling the pulling stop, Himitsu closed his eyes, not for them to shot open when he felt something bite his hand.

"AHH! The fuck!" he pulled in his hand and looked up only to see the squirrel still there, his hand held the tooth mark of the critter and it was starting to get on the lionheart's nerves.

"What is your fucking deal?! Fuck off!" he yelled.

The critter didn't budge, Himitsu feinted an attack at the squirrel to try and scare it off but it still didn't move. Himitsu groaned deeply at its stupidity and sat up and looked at it, still it didn't show any sign of backing off, as if it wanted something. Himitsu moved his white hair away and poked his tongue at the squirrel, still no response.

"Look here, I'm in no mood to be fucked around with right now. So how about you climb up a fucking tree and leave me to die!"

Burying his head back into the dirt, he tried to shut off all connection to the world around him, but this critter had got on his nerves to such an extent that he couldn't make his mind blank. Next thing, Himitsu could feel the squirrel climb on top of his head and knead into his mane-like locks. A sigh of despair came from the lionheart and slowly he lifted his head again. The squirrel jumped off and landed in front of his eyesight once more, and walked away a few feet and then turned back to Himitsu, as if wanting him to follow.

 _Fuck it._ He thought to himself and gradually he stood, feeling dirt and dead leaves fall off of him.

The squirrel started to move, taking several pauses to look back to Himitsu as if to see if he was indeed following. Despite the fact that he was following a squirrel through the forest that somehow seemed to want to be followed in the first place; as crazy as it was, the lionheart didn't really care.

"Look, if you're taking me to a cliff or somewhere else to kill myself, that would be great." Himitsu called out to the critter sarcastically.

At the base of a tree, the squirrel stopped and started to scratch at the dirt. Himitsu watched it with utter boredom and was nearly settled on walking away, that was until a glint came from the ground where the critter was. His eyes fixed in on the area and could make out a slight shine coming from beneath the dirt. The squirrel then stopped scratching and ran for the nearest tree and went out sight. Himitsu looked at it leave and then returned his attention to the floor before him. He dropped to the ground and curiously started to push earth away to expose what the squirrel had showed him. As the item was finally uncovered, Himitsu gasped at the sight. With trembling fingers, he pulled the item out of the dirt with delicate care and held it into the light. In this hands, was a golden necklace with mini diamonds; THE golden necklace that he had stolen when he was only 7; THE golden necklace he lost when it was stolen by a group of kids; THE golden necklace that he had risked his life to re-obtain from the 20 Buster hangout; THE golden necklace that a certain orange haired gangster that nearly killed him over, on two separate occasions; but most importantly, this was THE golden that he had given Jun Kazama, his adopted mother, on the night he last saw her and his brother.

His lips quivered and his heart was beating like a mouse's as he eyed this sacred treasure in his fingers. He shot up and searched all over for any sign of the Red squirrel had had somehow miraculously aided him in finding the necklace. A single word raced across his mind as he began to understand: _Jun._ He knew of her deep connection to this forest but he never knew it to be that great. The squirrel obviously wasn't acting on its own accord; it was guiding Himitsu as it as well was being guided. His mother Jun was at work here and he had to find out how.

Suddenly a switch in his head clicked as his entire perception of the situation had changed completely. He recalled Jun's supposed brother talking to him yesterday, one phrase clearly stuck out over them all.

 _There was a fire, no one really knows what happened. Her son survived but she was nowhere to be found._

The words: she was nowhere to be found, they were like a drug to the lionheart. They meant a very important detail about the death of Jun. There was no body to be found, which meant that no one was in that grave. The grave that beared the name of his mother was empty which led to the outlandish possibility that finally brought Himitsu to tears, tears of joy and more importantly hope.

"She's alive." He said to himself.

A smile crept across his face as the tears broke through and streamed down. The possibility was astounding; he had spent all night searching the forest and to find this necklace, well outside the burned down circumference of his old home was as good as anything to tell him that Jun lived. At the same time this also meant that her might not be here at all, there would only be one person that could possibly know as to the where-a-bouts of his mother from that night, and it wasn't his brother. That humanoid would have to be found, and when he was found, Himitsu would get the information he wanted.

Himitsu got up off the floor once more and proceeded to wrap the necklace twice around his left arm and click it tight like a bracelet. He would one day soon give this back to the person who rightfully deserved it, until then, he wasn't ready to face the monster that attacked 3 years ago. He would have to train, he needed to find a master of a fighting style and although he didn't know anyone like that, he knew a Sensei that could point him in the right direction and as he put it to him over 10 years ago, _Take a leap of faith_. But even before that, there was someone Himitsu had to find, someone that he knew very well was still alive.

...

Harada was busy at the end of his work day finishing off several inquiries and sending off messages from the Mishima Financial Building in Kyoto. He's usually an early starter which was why he was at the hospital with Mr. Mishima at around 6am yesterday. The good part to these early starts was an easy 2pm finish. He glanced at the clock above the door of his office with earnest, 1:58pm. Working with the Mishima family for over 20 years, he had been a part of the first two Tekken Tournaments and saw the company switch hands to Mr. Mishima's son and then back in a span of two years. Despite who ruled on the throne, Harada had been undoubtedly faithful in his work to both Mishimas which was the reason he stayed on while many others at his level were cut from the Zaibatsu like weeds in a field. His faithfulness to the Zaibatsu was only matched by his fear of its leaders, he knew all too well how important it was not to get on a Mishima's wrong side and as such was always in a defensive posture when the big talks came around and while he'd never suffered the wrath of a Mishima personally, he'd seen it first-hand and always knew that his diligence in his work was the only thing stopping that from happening to him.

With the final permit for a revolutionary new fighting arena completed and sent to Tokyo, Harada leaned back in his chair, pushed his circular rimmed shades in and watched the clock roll over to 2pm in a matter of seconds to spare. He rose from his chair and proceeded to exit his office. He bid farewell to the secretary outside and took the elevator to the ground floor. The receptionist and Harada exchanged goodbyes and he was out the door and heading towards his car. Upon reaching his car he dug into his suit jacket and reached for his keys when someone came up to him.

"Hi there, do you happen to work at this building?"

Harada turned to look at the person who approached him. The man stood over 6' and was wearing a dark silver jacket and jeans. His face wasn't fully visibly from the hood and long strands of white hair went down the right side of his face. The man had a smile on his face and looked nice but Harada still felt a little reserved to answer.

"Umm, yes I do." He replied hesitantly.

"Great! I thought so, you seemed like you were some executive or something. Hey, I was hoping you could answer a question for me."

"Depends on the question." Harada said with a nervous chuckle.

The man in front of him chuckled as well, "I'm sure you can help me out. Listen I'm looking for someone that you might probably know."

"And who might that be?"

"Jin Kazama."

Harada stopped at the question and felt the temperature around him increase slightly. Of all the people to ask for, his man asks for the grandson of the Head of the Zaibatsu. Clogs spun in his head as Harada suspects that he might actually know who this individual actually is. He then realised he hadn't even answered yet.

"The name isn't familiar with me, I'm afraid I don't know the person."

The man's eyes narrowed a little while still smiling. Every visual cue that was read from Harada's face told a different story; the raised eyebrows, the intake of air through his nose, the twinge of his jaw and on top of that the pause before he answered.

"I'm afraid that you do." The man calmly said, "I'd like to know where I could find him at this time, now if you don't mind."

Harada felt the man start to close in, forcing him to take a step back in fear.

"I'm telling you, I don't know this person. Please leave me alone."

Another step back and the man quickly closed in. In a swift action he pinned Harada against his own car and gripped his throat. His free hand was raised in a fist and his head was tilted slightly which moved the white hair away and exposed a deep scare that ran vertically across his face.

"I'm sure you recognise me as well," Himitsu said, his face now serious, "I'd hate to have to crush your face into your car so you'd better tell me where my brother is or else. Also on the matter of your car, I'm gonna need to borrow it if I have to travel a bit. I kinda left my other one at the hospital."

...

It was at the end of the day at school and this engineering class couldn't finish sooner. Jin already had most of his work done and was now impatiently tapping his foot on the ground, waiting for the bell to ring. His Mechanical Engineering major made it a must to attend subjects such as these and while they were interesting enough to have him spend his time learning about it, he felt that the compulsory attendance was a real drag. Thankfully the bell eventually rang and Jin made a beeline for the door, no one getting in his way at the time. He was soon out of Building B and heading towards his sports bike, ready to blast off. As he approached it he saw someone standing over his Honda, in fact touching it.

 _Who the hell does this punk think he is?_ He thought to himself angrily as his pace increased. If there's one thing you don't do, beside sitting at Jin's table of course, was touch his bike.

"Hey, get your hands off the bike fool!" he yelled at the individual from several metres away.

The man turned slightly to show a smirk on his face, "I'm glad to see you've been spending these 3 years pretty well."

Jin stopped. For some reason, the man's voice felt awfully familiar. It seemed to touch a hidden part of the raven-haired teen, a part that felt like it had been locked away for some time. Slowly the man turned completely so the two could see each other face-to-face. His hood was removed which had shielded long, spiky locks of black hair that held form perfectly for the individual. There were strands of white hair that semi-covered the right side of the man's face that when flicked away for a moment, revealed a scar that ran from the white hair's roots all the way down to under the chin.

"It's good to see you bro. It's been a while for you I'm sure."

Jin looked as if he was seeing a ghost. But it was clear to see; this man was the boy he had found a brother in over 10 years ago. He boy he had trained with under the watchful eye of his dearly departed mother. It was his brother, Himitsu.

The lionheart started to walk towards the raven-haired teen who was still rooted to the spot. He stopped about a metre away and the two studied each other from afar, looking at every notable feature on each other's face. Jin could see how different Himitsu looked from 3 years ago; his hair was longer and wilder, the white strands of hair were an obvious difference and the scar that could be more clearly seen from this close up was a tell-tale sign of a physical change without even commenting on how skinny he looked. Still behind all that, Jin could see that his brother was still the same person he had lived with in Yakushima, Himitsu was still there. Meanwhile as Himitsu stared at his brother, he could see little differences from the last time he had seen him. His hair still had its trademark look with the bangs over his eyes and the spiked-up-everything-else. His facial features were still the same and he seemed to have grown into his body very well, having a truly muscular frame. Still, Himitsu could notice a change behind the scenes, something he couldn't put his finger on. Jin was a changed man from 3 years ago, and it worried the lionheart.

"Is it…really you Mits?" Jin asked.

Himitsu simply smiled at his brother, he didn't have to even say it. All of the sudden the two closed the distance and hugged one another. Students eyed the spectacle, even Xiaoyu who had just exited the school with Miharu.

"Who is that?" Miharu asked her friend.

"…I…don't know…" Xiaoyu responded.

Feeling eyes on them, Jin quickly released his brother and felt his face go red with embarrassment, this was a side of him no one here had seen. Himitsu chuckled at his brother's coy.

"You could use a shave….and a haircut." Jin said looking away.

Himitsu laughed at that one, "The shave I can do!" he said cheerfully.

"How long have you…"

"Since early yesterday, I went home."

Jin looked right at Himitsu again, "Home? Why? There's no home there to go to."

"I didn't know Jin; I was in a coma remember?"

"But why go there?"

"To find mum."

Jin couldn't say anything to that, he was certain his brother knew the whole story already.

"She's out there Jin," Himitsu continued, "I know that thing that attacked has her and I'm gonna find him soon enough I promise."

Jin grew bewildered at what he had just heard, the mere idea of it was insane to him, what was his brother talking about?

"Mits, she's dead, Ogre killed her." Jin said with a grunt at the mention of the monster's name.

"Ogre?"

"Yes, that's what attacked us that night. It killed mother and nearly killed you, and I'm to blame for that. It's all my fault Mits, I'm sorry."

Himitsu shook his head, "You don't have to feel sorry bro, I'm fine now and our mother is alive."

"What are you talking about!? The only two people left in the morning was me and you! She's dead Mits, don't you understand?"

"And why wasn't she there Jin? Tell me."

"Because she's dead! How many times do I have to say it?"

"But I know she's not Jin."

"HOW? How can you possibly know that?"

"Because of this, recognise it?"

Himitsu held up his left hand to Jin's face and showed him the necklace that was wrapped around it.

"No." replied Jin.

"Sure you do; this is the necklace I gave to mother on that night. You wanna know where I found it?"

Jin was becoming more calm and yet suspicious as the conversation when on.

"Where?" he questioned.

"In the forest, away from the burned area where our home was. Not ONLY that but you wanna know how I found it?"

"Sure."

"A squirrel Jin, a squirrel led me to it this morning!"

Whatever Himitsu was on to was immediately lost by Jin. He looked at the lionheart like he actually was a different person, an insane person.

"A squirrel Mits? Really?" he said mockingly.

"I'm serious Jin! That's why I know mum's alive! Obviously a squirrel wouldn't show me where this necklace was but one did. It woke me up and lead me to where it was and dug in the spot where it was buried for 3 years. And you wanna know why it did that? Because of mum. We both know that she and nature were one and the same thing. She influenced that squirrel into showing me where this was so that I would know that she lives. Believe me Jin, it's all true!"

"….." Jin expression became incredibly glum, "You're insane." He finally said.

Himitsu's expression changed too, but it was anger, anger from his brother's gall, "Really Jin? Then tell me where mother is then! Huh? Tell me that to prove me wrong!"

"Where do you think? She burned up in the fire after Ogre killed her! She's dead dammit!"

"Then why was this not in the burn zone!?" Himitsu shook the necklace in front of Jin's face again, "She didn't burn up in the fire, I'll tell you where she is! She's captured by that thing, Ogre as you put it, and I'm gonna find him and get our mother back."

"That monster is of no concern to you, I'm going to kill it myself, mark my words!"

"Kill it? Jin, that monster swept you aside like you were-"

"I KNOW WHAT IT DID!" Jin shot back, "But that's all changed now, with my grandfather's teachings I'm going to get my revenge on what that creature did to us!"

"Your grandfather? The one that controls the Mishima company? That man is evil Jin, I haven't even met the guy and I know what he is."

"Don't talk about things you know nothing about, I have to do this. For mother AND you! Don't get in my way!"

"How can I not?! Jin if you face that thing, you will die, mark MY words!"

"Then I'll die killing it!"

Himitsu scoffed, "And you say I'm insane?"

"SHUT UP! You will not rob me of my vengeance, just like how you robbed me of my mother!"

Himitsu doubled-back at comment. He moved his white hair away from his right eye and looked at his brother in shock.

"What-what did you just say?"

"You heard me, all the time you'd spend with her, that necklace, the guitar even. All of it was just to get her attention and make you her favourite! I refuse to be made a fool of here!"

"You think I was competing against you?! Now I know you're insane!"

"Think what you want Himitsu but I know the truth and refuse to hid in a Fairytale. Mother's dead and I'm going to kill Ogre for it. So you better stay out of my way if you know what's good for you because I'd HATE to see you in another coma."

With that, Jin shouldered Himitsu out of the way and made his way towards his bike. Himitsu looked at Jin all the while, as if time had slowed down. This was not how he wanted it to turn out and this is definitely not what Jun would want from her two sons. The Jin walking away from him was indeed different and now he knew why. Jin's playful nature that he adored was gone, he was no longer one with the world like his mother had taught him, he no longer expressed care for others and he wasn't happy. Jin was now cold and dedicated to death, and Himitsu wouldn't stand for it.

With time seemingly put back to normal he strode up to his brother, pulled him around by the shoulder to face him and punched him right in the face. Jin fell to the ground at the king hit, putting a hand to the area of impact and brought his eyes up to meet the intense gaze of Himitsu, looking above him.

"JIN!"

Xiaoyu who was watching the whole scene rushed towards Jin as he fell to the ground. She went to her knees at his side to make sure he was okay.

"What is your problem?" she yelled at Himitsu whose gaze averted to Xiaoyu for a moment and then back at his brother.

Jin pushed Xiaoyu away and quickly stood up bringing his face close to Himitsu's, their noses inches from touching.

"The first one's for free." He said with malice.

Suddenly, the sound of heavy vehicles could be heard everywhere as armoured cars with the Mishima insignia rolled into the school grounds. Students fled the scene quickly as the vehicles surrounded Xiaoyu and the two brothers and Tekken Force soldiers pilled out. Himitsu broke eye contact with Jin and saw the soldier advancing towards him. He quickly tried to make a break for it but was cut off on all sides. A few soldiers were knocked away by the lionheart before he was stunned by multiple Tasers, bringing him down in a seizure-like state. He was quickly handcuffed and picked up by the arms, being lead to one of the armoured vehicles.

"Where are you taking him? Wait, stop! I'm ordering you to stop!" Jin yelled at the soldiers before being held back by Xiaoyu.

The soldiers stuffed Himitsu into a vehicle and just as quick as they arrived, they were gone, heading towards Tokyo's Mishima Financial Building. Jin could only look on as his brother disappeared down the road and out of sight. His brother was gone once again.

* * *

(And the two brothers reunite...in animosity. I feel the sooner or later I'm going to be doing 20,000 word chapters soon lol, they keep getting bigger! Wanna give a quick shoutout to the faithful that reviewed the previous chapter, all happy to see Himitsu back, I really appreciate it. Please keep it up as reading the reviews makes it all worth it. Also don't forget to favourite and folow the story so that it get a little more recognition and you're notified as soon as a new chapter is available. I can tell you that we're starting to get to the REAL good stuff now, the 3rd Tekken Tournament is approaching. Enjoy!)


	19. Closer Apart

(Hey there! This chapter will seem a little bit like a filler but it helps Himitsu get introduced to two of the story's characters. Meanwhile Jin will be getting to know an important character in the next chapter to come. Punches and kicks will fly I assure you. Enjoy!)

* * *

Chapter 19 – Closer Apart

"Let go of me Xiaoyu!"

Jin pushed the girl off of him, causing her to nearly fall to the ground herself. The sudden anger rising in the raven-haired teen scared Xiaoyu and made her eyes water.

"Jin wait! What are you doing?!" she called out to him as he stomped over to his Honda.

"I'm going after them, that's what!"

"But why?"

Jin didn't answer and proceeded to start up his bike in a hurry, before he could high-tail it for the armoured vehicles, Xiaoyu was back up and standing over his front tyre.

"Jin you need to calm down! You're angry and all over the place, you can't drive like that!"

"Leave me Xiaoyu!" Jin revved the bike's engine, trying to scare Xiaoyu off, but she held on.

"JIN! JIN!" Xiaoyu yelled over the roaring of the Honda.

Seeing that she wasn't going to budge, Jin ceased the throttle and put his head down. He was fuming over so many things right now, which now included this stupid girl in front of him. However, she was right. His head wasn't in the right place, he was acting on adrenaline and someone, either himself or another, would only get hurt if he sped off. He switched the engine off and sighed in defeat. Xiaoyu finally let go of the front of Jin's bike and went over to his side. She placed a hand on Jin's shoulder to comfort him and placed another hand over his own. Her heart was beating quickly from how intense the moment before had been but also because she now was caught in a very intimate moment with the raven-haired teen. She never been in contact with him like this before; other times the contact was a result from their sparring, but this was a defenceless Jin, someone she'd rarely had a moment with.

As Jin's breathing steadied he looked over to Xiaoyu and saw tears still in her eyes, her face was the definition of worry, a worry for him. He couldn't understand why at the time, but felt it best to not mess with anything right now.

"Xiao, you're tearing up." He said softly to her.

Xiaoyu let go and wiped her face with her hands.

"Yeah it's okay." She said after her face looked a little cleaner, "I'm just happy you've calmed down is all."

"Yeah…thanks. I blew a little off the handle there. It's just…"

"Just what Jin? Was that really the brother you told me about once?"

Jin sighed again, "Yeah, that was Mits."

"Well why were you two yelling like that? And why did he punch you?"

"It's nothing, he's just delusional."

"Jin."

"Don't worry. Look, I need to find him and sort this out, the Tekken Force shouldn't have done that, I don't understand."

"Do you even know where he is?"

Jin restarted his engine, "I have a hunch if they took him."

Xiaoyu quickly ran behind Jin and jumped onto the bike also.

"Xiao? Get off, what are you doing!?"

"Look, I agree that you need to find him, but I'm coming also. That way you won't do anything crazy."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm okay now!"

"Well I'm going to make sure you stay that way!"

Xiaoyu slipped on Jin's helmet and locked her arms around Jin's waist so he knew she was tagging along and also because she was prepared for the burst of speed to follow. Jin shook his head but knew it was futile to argue, he was wasting enough time was it is. With that he put on some shades to cover his eyes and gave his bike another rev.

"You know I'm not gonna go slow right?" He said to her.

"…"

He took her silence as an understanding and took off. Once again they were whizzing through traffic at breakneck speeds. If the Tekken Force had come here specifically for his brother, Jin knew who was behind it. He roared through the streets of Tokyo and made for the Mishima Financial Building in the city.

...

Himitsu sat in the interrogation room with his hands cuffed behind his back and his head looking down. His body had eventually settled after the Taser shock and he was now sitting in total silence. No one had come into the room for about 20 minutes now but he was well aware of where anyone might be at this moment in time. To his right was a large mirror covering the wall and he knew that there would be someone over on the other side keeping an eye on him. All that mattered now was how they would act.

He thought back to how everything played out over the past 2 hours; arriving at Kyoto, heading over to the city's Mishima Financial Building, getting information out of the businessman, heading to Tokyo, confronting Jin, the fallout. Everything had been going so well until he and his brother started talking but now they were at this stage. Did he come on too strong with their mother still being alive? Why did his brother think it was all a competition? Did the apparent loss of his mother give him a deathwish? It just wasn't right with how that all went and Himitsu began to question why he'd even gone to see Jin in the first place.

The sound of the door brought Himitsu's head up as a woman in a white coat came into the room. He didn't acknowledge her and neither did she, instead she looked over the lionheart and started writing notes down on a clipboard she carried. She then placed her writing material down and pulled out a stethoscope and with no sign of courtesy she started to put the instrument down the back of Himitsu's jacket and checked his breathing. After a while she swapped over to his chest, pushing his head back so she could properly perform her duties. This gave Himitsu a good look of her face that he wasn't bothered to receive. He noticed the right side of her face held a slight bruise along the cheek area but overall she didn't show any signs of discomfort from it. Once that was done she put away the stethoscope and pulled out a small flashlight and shined it in Himitsu's eyes. Irritated by the sudden brightness his pulled his head away from her hands causing her to pause at first and then opt to sit down on the other side of the table in front of Himitsu instead. She jotted down some more notes and then finally spoke.

"My name is doctor Hayley and I'm going to ask you some questions which I stress are important for you to answer properly. Do I have your attention and cooperation?"

Himitsu kept his head down, not dignified to give a response. The doctor continued.

"This is a standard procedure for any recovering coma patient who was woken up. I don't have time for your bullshit for whatever reason, you need to cooperate if you want to get out of here today. I may not be the one holding you but I know why you are being held. It's best you just answer the questions and we all can get out of here sooner. What do you say?

Himitsu's head slowly raised enough so that he could look at the doctor. While he still didn't speak, his body language showed Hayley that he was inclined to listen so she began.

"First off, are you aware that you've been in your coma for over 3 years?"

An exhale of annoyance escaped Himitsu as he felt his attention being wasted.

"Well?" Hayley quipped

"Yes." He finally answered

"How is your memory? Do you remember who you are?"

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't."

"Well what do you remember?"

"Nothing you need to know about."

"Listen, I'm trying to help you-"

"How about you go fuck yourself."

Hayley shut her mouth at that, if this was how it was going to be, she wasn't going to waste her time anymore. That bastard outside had already given her a hard time today and yesterday as it is. She stood up and gathered her things and then left the room, giving Himitsu the silence he welcomed.

"I'm going!" Hayley yelled to the soldier blocking her path to the elevator.

The man looked over her shoulder to the Head of the Zaibatsu who gave him a nod and as a result stood aside, letting the woman angrily pass him.

"Is she not needed sir?" the soldier asked Mr. Mishima.

"She won't be necessary anymore," Heihachi replied, "The boy knows who he is, hand me his keys."

"Sir?"

"The keys, he's of no trouble."

The soldier took the handcuffs keys off of his belt and handed it to Mr. Mishima who then proceeded to enter the interrogation room. He had been watching from the mirror the whole time and was intrigued by the manner he exhumed to the doctor. He clearly had no sense of fear for the current predicament he was in, well that was unless Mr. Mishima had anything to say about it. Entering the room, he smoothly strode over to the metal table and sat down on the opposite side of the lionheart. Taking the same approach he took to his grandson three years ago; he kept quiet and waited for the boy to eventually acknowledge him who in turn remained silent. Minutes went way and nothing, it was almost a game and nobody was winning just yet. No one had succumbed to opening the floor and while Himitsu was still keeping his head down, showing no sign of interest; Heihachi was looking right at the long-haired man sitting before him, feeling his face going red with impatience. He decided to take a non-verbal approach; he took the key he had received from the soldier and chucked them onto the table. The sound of metal hitting metal made Himitsu's eyes shot up to the source, he saw the keys laying there and had an idea on what they're for. Slowly, his line of sight went from the table up to the man sitting before him. It only took a second to figure out who this man was. As for Mr. Mishima, his face relaxed and a smirk appeared on his face, revelling in his victory.

Himitsu stood up from his chair and turned his back to Heihachi, reaching for the keys before him. Once in his grasp he sat back down with his eyes fixed on Mr. Mishima while he fumbled with the key behind his back to put them into the right hole. Once successful, Himitsu brought both handcuff and keys to the table and lay them down before him.

"Why?" he asked Heihachi.

"Because I don't need you restrained. Even if I wore those, you're of no threat to me." Mr. Mishima answered.

Himitsu put his hand to the handcuffs and slid them across the table until they were underneath Heihachi's nose.

"Want to make a bet?" he threatened.

Heihachi looked for the cuffs for a second and then brought his eyes back to Himitsu and flashed him a cold grin, "Hmpf! You're in no position to make the decisions around here."

Himitsu leaned back and crossed his arms, "What do you want from me?"

"You're going to answer my questions, and unlike the doctor, I will get an answer out of you. After all, it was money out of my own pocket that kept you alive from 3 years, you owe thanks to me as such. In fact, I'd appreciate a little grovelling at my feet as compensation."

"Fuck you."

"Heheheheheheheheheheh… You'll do well to not rebel any further. I'll let that one go, but disrespect me another time and you'll taste real pain."

"I tasted nothing but pain for 3 years, and before that I lived in pain from the moment I could walk. You don't scare me old man."

The two starred each other down, not a word was spoken. While he wasn't scared, Himitsu knew very well that in his current position, Mr. Mishima would sweep him aside. More importantly though, the last thing that the lionheart wanted was to be held back any longer than he wanted to be, he needed to get out of here.

"If I answer your questions," Himitsu said, breaking the silence, "I want to be let out of here."

Heihachi rolled his head in contemplation, "Well, that depends if your answers are not only the answers I seek, but the answers don't give me a reason to keep you here."

"It's a yes or no question okay? Don't bullshit me."

"Hmmm…fine. If your answers are fair, you may go."

Himitsu leaned back in and placed his hands on the table, "Okay then, ask away."

Mr. Mishima leant forward himself before continuing, their eyes still had not broken contact from one another and the temperature in the room was still on high. While Heihachi held all the power in this conversation, Himitsu still held all the information, even information he was not aware of at the time. All that mattered to the Head of the Zaibatsu was that at the end this young man was just a man and nothing more.

"I want you to tell me what happened on the night Ogre attacked you three years ago. You know who I'm referring to am I right?"

Himitsu nodded to the question but held his tongue to the request.

"Well?" said Heihachi, giving notion to his impatience.

A smirk came up to Himitsu's face, "What do you want to know?"

"I want to know what happened that night!"

"Why? I'm sure you already know from my brother."

"I know only up until he was taken out of the equation, which as he put it was at the start. You will fill in the blanks! Got it?"

Himitsu took a deep breath before finally answering, recalling the night as much as he didn't want to.

"It was late; Jin and I had gone to our rooms while mother was still by the fireplace if I can remember. Suddenly a noise was heard from outside and I got up because of it. As more noises followed, sounding closer every time, I left my room and saw Jun looking out a window. Jin was next to me and we asked her what was wrong. She then told us to stay away from the window and as she did, something huge broke into the side of the house. It was Ogre, as you call it."

"I'm not interested in the before, boy!" interrupted Heihachi, "Tell me what happened after Jin was gone!"

"I was getting to that! Shut up and listen!"

"Don't raise your voice at me!"

"Then don't interrupt!"

"!"

Heihachi looked like he was about the blow the roof off but instead closed his eyes and suppressed his aggression. His eyes reopened and he continued to look straight at Himitsu as before, showing his compliance with not interjecting further. Himitsu himself relaxed and continued.

"When mother was first attacked and knocked into another room, Jin charged at Ogre. He was simple caught in mid-air and flung outside like trash. I meanwhile was just as mad but I wasn't going to fall to the same fate. I fought as defensively as I could at first but I myself as knocked into another room. When I regained my strength, I hurried outside the cottage and saw Ogre choking my mother. I rushed at the bastard and kicked him in the head as hard as I could but needless to say, while he let go of my mum, his attention turned to me once again. Before long…I was in a pool of my own blood. Then the thing picked me up and looked right at me, like he was…. studying me or some shit."

Heihachi recalled his similar experience back in Central America but wanted the boy to continue, "And then?"

"Then he took out some sort of knife and…started…to do this."

Himitsu's body was now trembling as he recalled the moments before his collapse. He moved his white hair away and exposed the scar to Heihachi who was rubbing his jaw in deep thought.

"And was that the last thing that happened before you lost consciousness?" he asked.

As Himitsu was about to answer, he closed his mouth and looked away from Heihachi's eyes. He knew what happened afterwards, when the brute plunged his hand into Himitsu's head and the incredible agony that followed. Still, there was something supernatural about it that to anyone would sound foolish and be dismissed as a hallucination, but with Heihachi, Himitsu could sense that he was waiting for an answer like that. The lionheart could tell that Mr. Mishima would only let him go as long as the recounting of the night checked out and while Ogre's hand going into Himitsu's skull as crazy, it was crazy enough for the man before him to keep him here.

Himitsu brought his eyesight back to Heihachi and finished off the retelling, "At the time, all I could feel was pain. Then my mother came to my rescue and brought Ogre's attention back to her. The last thing I saw was the two of them fighting in the distance, getting further and further away from me. And then I blacked out...for 3 years."

Heihachi studied the man's face for any sign of holding back. It seemed like a plausible tale although the reason for the scar was still left out in the open, he decided to pursue that avenue.

"Why did Ogre cut you like that then?"

"I don't know. But whatever it was going to do was stopped when mother intervened, she saved me."

"It's interesting that the scar never healed don't you think?"

Himitsu shrugged, "Maybe. I'm not an expert on these things, but I've gotten plenty of scars and cuts over the years and they all would eventually go away. I'm sure that this though will be on my face for a long time, and it'll be something that I'll have to live with."

Seeing the topic of discussion going off the rails, Heihachi decided to work another angle, "So, how'd you get out of the hospital?"

"The same way anyone would," said Himitsu with a raised eyebrow, "I walked out genius."

"Well, from what the doctor had told me, your road to recovery would be… long and strenuous as she put it herself. But here you are, walking about. Care to explain?"

"I'm not sure what you want me to tell you."

"Simple, I believe the doctor. So your miraculous recovery vexes me. Tell me how you stood on your own two feet and walked out."

Himitsu's eyes squinted in confusion, "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Do you want to leave?"

An annoyed expression went across Himitsu's face. As stupid as the whole thing was, it was probably better to just get it over with and comply.

"When I came to, I didn't have much idea what was going on or who I was for that matter. The one thing that stuck in my head was that I had to get out of the place. I started by getting feeling back into my body; I moved my head, then my fingers, arms and then moved onto my legs. The whole ordeal took me a few hours to accomplish but I couldn't get my feet to move as much as I tried. I then fell off the bed and crawled to the bathroom and used the sink cabinet to try and get up. After God knows how long, I finally made it up and once I looked at myself in the mirror I remembered just about everything I could about myself. Then, well, I walked out. That's…that's it."

"Just like that?" Heihachi asked bluntly.

"Yes, what more do you want?!"

The two men starred at one another once again. Neither knew how to continue the conversation for their own benefit. Himitsu felt it best to just wait for a response while Heihachi could feel like something was being held from him. While the lionheart could feel his armpits sweat up, his face remained calm and composed, he was gonna have to add something to put the old man's mind at ease, otherwise he might never get out of here.

"The reason…why I could stand…was because of Jun, my mother."

"Hmm? How so?" Heihachi questioned.

"When I was on the floor, I saw some kind of visage of her in a forest. Seeing her brought out something in me that made me finally get up. After all that, I went to Yakushima to find her, and I'm still looking."

"Hmpf! You don't have to look far; she's buried at a nature preserve."

"But is she?" countered Himitsu, "I know for a fact that the grave is empty."

"So? You and the boy were the only ones to survive the wrath of Ogre. Jun Kazama is dead, that's all there is to it. No one had walked away from a fight with it, well, apart from myself, hahaahaha!"

"Say what you think, but I know she's alive, and I'm going to find her. Even if I have to find Ogre and make him tell me."

Heihachi's head went right back as he roared with laughter, unsettling Himitsu as he watched the disrespect coming from the Head of the Zaibatsu.

"BAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, HA…ha… You are a fool! Now I KNOW you were competing with my grandson for his mother's affection."

Himitsu blinked at the accusation, "Wh-what? Comp-…you put that idea in his head didn't you!? THERE IS NO COMPETITION YOU MADMAN! Life isn't a competition as it is to you!"

"HAHAHAHA and what proof do you even have of her existence then?"

"Nothing of your concern!"

"Defiant til the end huh? HAHAHAHA you're hilarious! I admire your tenacity, it's what kept the boy on his toes this whole time. What I admire more however is your so-called mother. Putting the two of you against each other was brilliant! A page out of my book even. I did the same with the boy's old man you know."

"HEY! We are NOT your children! Jin's not some toy you think you can control. I know what you want out of him, you want a puppet! A patsy! You're sick!"

"What do you even know about me boy? You know nothing!"

"Really? Well let's see about that. You're Heihachi Mishima, head of the Mishima Zaibatsu. You took over what was once your father's dojo after he MYSTERIOUSLY disappeared and turned it over time into a multi-national corporation with your hands in Finance, Tourism, Entertainment, Innovation, I can go on. You had a son with your wife who at the same time as your father disappeared of all the sudden. In your anger you pushed your son to be cold like you, going so far as to throw him off a fucking cliff. You definitely won father of the year for that one I'm sure. Several years later you hosted a tournament to satisfy your libido or whatever the fuck. There, your son re-emerged and beat you to shit and adding a little insult, threw YOU off a cliff as well! In the two years after, you bided your time and waited for your son to slip. That came when he hosted a tournament himself and you defeated him. And instead of throwing him off a cliff again, you one-upped yourself and chucked your own son into a fucking volcano! NOW, many years later a grandson you never knew about ends up at your doorstep asking for revenge over the monster who killed his mother. You feel like a father to him at times but at the same time you're afraid of what may lie inside of him. An evil that you fear is the same evil that took your own son. So now the temptation is starting to get the better of you, as what you crave most above competition is power, power that you have the choice of taking. Be it the power of the monster that's been wreaking havoc on the globe or the power that may lie in your grandson. Who knows? You may go for both instead! HOW AM I DOING SO FAR?!"

"…"

"…"

Both men's faces were inches from each other, both Heihachi and Himitsu had stood up towards to end of the lionheart's tirade. Both were breathing fiercely through their noses and their eyes stared lasers into the other. They leaned into one another over the metal table, ready to throw fists if need be. For Himitsu, it didn't matter if his odds were next to zero; he'd been in similar odds before and somehow prevailed. All he waited on was Mr. Mishima to make the first move.

Heihachi face then started to relax and he straighten his posture, Himitsu doing the same as a result. He then turned and walked towards the door. Before opening it he turned to the lionheart one more time.

"In several months' time, I'll be hosting a tournament that I'm sure Ogre will attend for the fun of it. I suggest you prepare yourself in that amount of time, you'll need it. I'll send someone to escort you out of the building, after that you're on your own again. Good luck."

The door swiftly opened and was slammed shut. Himitsu settled back into his seat and let out a deep breath of relief. To say he was glad that didn't get messy would be an understatement; the Head of the Zaibatsu radiated danger all around him. So much so that Himitsu could feel electricity pulsating around his body in that final stare down.

Now outside the interrogation room, Heihachi turned to an officer of the Tekken Force awaiting his return.

"Have a small contingency of men escort the boy out of here." He said immediately started to walk away.

"Yes sir. Umm sir, by the way."

Heihachi groaned at the coming of more news, "Yes?"

"Your grandson is in the building and demanded to see his…brother."

 _The boy's persistent… I'd rather they not have any contact though,_ Heihachi thought to himself, _it would only distract him._

He turned to face the officer, "Have the boy in there be lead out to a back entrance away from my grandson, I'll deal with him."

...

Jin had already made it past the front lobby; while he had been initially held back, the staff of the building knew better than to physically impede his approach to Mr. Mishima. He marched through corridors and hallways and made his way to the executive elevator of the building. As soon as he reached it, the door opened and his grandfather stepped out, looking straight it him. Jin wasted no time in giving his word on the matter at hand.

"What's going on here?! What gives you the right to drag away my brother like that?!"

Heihachi held his arms out in ignorance, "I can do whatever I want, did you forget that?"

Jin gritted his teeth in anger, he was in no mood to be debated with, "WHERE IS HE?!"

Heihachi kept silent, simply crossing his arms.

"RRRRRRRRRRRR, ANSWER ME!"

"He's gone."

"HE-…he's, what?"

"I let him go."

It was now Jin's turn to keep silent, this honestly wasn't the answer he'd expected and now he felt like he standing in front of his grandfather with nothing. He didn't know how to respond to that, it was a real 180 on his grandfather's behalf. With his grandson's silence anticipated, Heihachi continued.

"I've got the information out of him that I wanted, he's of no importance to you anymore and will only look to weigh you down and distract you from your goal. Forget about him and focus on the remaining month or so of your schooling. After that, you're going to be focusing entirely on preparing for the upcoming tournament."

Finally, something Mr. Mishima said gauged Jin a word of dialogue to contribute, "T-tournament?"

"Yes, the 3rd King of Iron First tournament. I will be announcing it very soon and I am confident that Ogre will participate."

Jin looked down at his hands and clenched them tightly. He knew very well what his meant to him, his vengeance would soon be realised, finally! The sounds of it gave clarity to the raven-haired teen, now a man in his own right. And the hard work he had been putting in for 3 years was soon to bear fruit and the soul of his mother would rest easy. Still, he needed to find his brother, their first chance to talk in 3 years had gone up in flames and it definitely wasn't a lasting memory he wanted to have.

"Where is my brother now?" he asked.

Heihachi scoffed at his grandson, "I told you, he gone. He off somewhere and I'm sure he's going to attend the tournament just as well."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I told him. He knows of the tournament like yourself and I'm sure he'll use the time he's got to get ready for it."

"Why would you tell him for?" Jin temper was starting to boil again, "He's only looking to stand in my way and take Ogre for himself, he's delusional and I need to talk to him."

"Well it seems my assumptions were correct then. He doesn't care about you boy, all he cares about is getting revenge on Ogre himself. You don't fit into his picture and you never have, face it."

"Shut up! Don't talk to me like I'm a fool! I can handle my own problems myself, I don't need you to fight my battles for me! If I want to see my brother, you're not going to keep me away from him!"

"Hmpf!"

"STOP PLAYING AROUND!"

Jin's face went right up to his grandfather's. While he stood an inch or so over him, Heihachi wasn't the least bit worried from his grandson's outburst. He knew that at the end of the day, he was and always will be in control of his grandson's destiny. He held all the cards and wasn't the least bit scared of how far he's come since he saw him in Kyoto. Jin was his, and until the day his usefulness ran out, he would always be a pawn to Mr. Mishima.

"What are you going to do, boy?"

With nothing left to say, Jin stormed off. He couldn't stand to look at his grandfather for another second. It was just a game to him sometimes and it made Jin sick when he had to be made a part of it. He needed some form of release for today and he wasn't going to find it here or at home. Moving quickly out of the building he rush over to it bike and started the engine. He could hear someone yelling his name but he dismissed it and took off in a cloud of smoke.

"JIN!"

Xiaoyu screamed at the top of her lungs at the sports bike leaving her in front of the building. Why did Jin take off like that? He promised her that he'd be alright once he was inside and after waiting for only a few minutes he was out of the building and taking off once again in a rage, leaving her on her own. Her bottom lip curled over the top as she pouted and whipped out her phone to message Miharu. As she and her friend texted back and forth about how rude Jin was being and who that mysterious guy was, which to no surprise was all that Miharu wanted to talk about, Xiaoyu heard some commotion coming from around the building. Getting up to investigate she timidly walked over and saw four Tekken Force soldiers standing around someone with long, black hair. The pig-tailed girl recognised who it was and watched the scene unfold.

"Your boss said to escort me out the building! I'm out the building now, so kindly fuck off!" yelled Himitsu, shoving the soldiers away from him and giving himself some space.

"Don't give us attitude or we'll bring you back in!" one of the soldiers responded.

"Try me! It's just the four of you this time and as far as I'm concerned, no Tasers!"

"Oh no! What will we do boys?"

They drew their guns on the lionheart.

"Seems like its bullets for lunch then." Another soldier cackled.

Himitsu clenched his fists and looked right at the adversaries in front of him, ready to charge.

"HEY!" came a girlish voice from down the passageway.

Himitsu turned as he and the soldiers looked at the voice, it belongs to a girl with pig-tails and she stood rather confidently while still pretty far away, her hands at her hips.

One of the soldiers spoke up to Xiaoyu, "Hey, back off kid. This is official Zaibatsu business!"

Another solider however stood down and started to walking away. The man who spoke before turned to his comrade in confusion.

"What are you doing?!" he questioned.

"Give it up boys," came the soldier's response, "That's the girl that lives at the Estate with Mr. Mishima."

The remaining soldier look back at the girl, "What? Oh, shit. Fine." One of them said.

The soldier took off back to the building leaving Himitsu watching them go with daggers in his eyes. He wished they didn't wear those stupid gas masks, that way he could recognise who shocked him back at the school. With a huff he turned and walked out in the direction of the girl, paying her no mind. That was until she stood right in front of him.

"You're Jin's brother aren't you? Mits?"

Himitsu looked down at the girl in front of him, he started to recognise her from the school today. It was she that ran over to Jin after he punched him. She looked up at him with an upset expression, whether it was directed towards him or someone else, Himitsu didn't know. Still, the girl had a fire about her that perplexed the lionheart; she had a sense of bravery and fearlessness about her yet it seemed that its façade could be broken at any moment, if he so chooses. Still, he had no quarrel with her and felt that she was someone who obviously knew her brother, perhaps a little too well.

"You could say that; not by blood but we're just as bonded, or at least we were. And the name's Himitsu to you"

"Okay."

"…"

"Stay away from him."

A wheeze escaped Himitsu's mouth as he held back laughter. Xiaoyu didn't look impressed.

"Ha! Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt your boyfriend."

Xiaoyu eyes shot wide open, "Wha-w-w-w-…. He's…h-h-he's NOT my boyfriend!" she was blushing a deep red.

"Well, it certainly seems like you wanna be." Said Himitsu, putting one hand on his hip and flicking his white streaks away from his right eye.

Xiaoyu felt a wave of mortification standing in front of this man, he had so easily probed her and her attempts at defending Jin had immediately been turned around onto her. Why did she think it was a good idea to talk to this guy in the first place? Why defend Jin if he's probably never going to do the same for her? He was so distant and would never fully open up to people. Sure, he'd given Xiaoyu a brief retelling of his family and their demise one time but after that he'd bottled himself up again and once more failed to coerce with anyone. Xiaoyu could feel her eyes begin to water again, and Himitsu took notice

"Hey," Himitsu leaned lower to bring his eye level closer to Xiaoyu, "I'm sorry if I came on too strong with that. Look, I'm leaving Tokyo for a while anyway. I only came here to make sure he was okay, but well..."

"Why did you two argue like that for?" Xiaoyu asked., rubbing one of her eyes.

"It's…complicated."

"It doesn't have to be; you care about him don't you?"

"Of course I do! That's why he can't join this tournament his grandfather wants to make, it'll be his end."

"His end? Is he going to die?" Xiaoyu asked sadly as her eyes sparkling with tears.

Himitsu tilted his head to the side and looked at the girl. Her sweet nature amused him, it was almost like the childhood he sometimes wished he'd had been a part of. He had to grow up quickly from his misfortunes and gave up on being a kid. This girl still clung onto that childhood of hers and fought with her growing adult side for control. She only wanted the best to happen for everyone, it was touching.

Himitsu took a knee to go under her eye level, "What's your name?"

"Xiaoyu." She replied with a sniff.

"Well Xiaoyu, I want Jin to get out of this okay just as much as you, believe me. However, his biggest enemy in all of this is himself. He's blinded by what happened 3 years ago and puts all the blame on himself. If I have to do so, I'm going to beat him to a pulp if that means saving his life. But I can tell that you care about him deeply; so do whatever you can to stop him from going too far, because I know I can't do it on my own. Will you help me?"

Xiaoyu wiped away her tears once more and nodded her head to the lionheart, "I'll help."

"Thank you. Now, I'll see you around hopefully, take good care of him for me will ya?"

"I will."

Himitsu gave Xiaoyu a smile and got up to leave, pulling the hood over his head and stuffing his hands into the jacket's pockets. Xiaoyu just stood there and watched him go. To her, Himitsu had his heart set in the right place, he did care for his brother, although how strangely he showed it. If he was to enter the tournament, his goal would be to save Jin from his suffering. It amazed Xiaoyu how different the two were; Jin would rarely lose himself to his emotions but when he did it was catastrophic where as Himitsu's emotions were almost all over the place and yet it barely affected him. Both men were victims of extreme circumstances; while one had to suffer on his own and try to repair the damage within himself while at the same time strengthen his resolve for the future, the other was trapped in his own mind and replayed the scenarios of his tragedy over and over until he was numb to it. Both Jin and Himitsu had suffered from the loss of their mother and while one had accepted the fate of the one they loved and moved on with a plan to justify everything they planned to do, the other still clung onto the faint hope that their mother still resided in this world and was determined to see it through to get her back. For Xiaoyu; she was torn on two sides. She wanted to stand by Jin in his fight and help him achieve what he longed for but Himitsu's worry for his brother's life in this struggle was noble enough for Xiaoyu to want Jin to just walk away. This was a decision that she'd have to come to eventually, how soon, she didn't know.


	20. The Blood Talon

Chapter 20 – The Blood Talon

The Sun was setting to the west of Tokyo as Jin sat on the side of a road on Mt. Odake with his head in his hands, trying desperately to calm himself down. This had become something of a constant recurrence for him; his rage had a tendency to getting the better of him and Jin had started to get cases of blackouts if he couldn't find any sort of release. For a while, his release was the girls in his high school. That meaningless fooling around had been a way to cope for him but ever since he'd abstained from it, his anger had been on a rise that he feared was getting the better of him and he couldn't figure out why. He thought that his focus on his training would be enough but it didn't quell the rage in him anymore, even his sparring with Xiaoyu had become bland and dull. She'd only beaten him once after all.

This whole day had been just one big mess to his serenity. His brother had turned up out of nowhere which would be a good thing if not for the fact that Himitsu was adamant that Jin's mother was alive. His disagreement at Jin's desire to defeat Ogre for his mother was another tipping point and the punch only added to that. To add even more salt to his wounds, not only did the Tekken Force take his brother away from him but his grandfather took away his chances of getting to see him and practically laughed in his face as always. The pain from the rage inside him as getting worse by the second and it felt like those same voices from his recurring dream where talking again.

" **Give in to the anger. Hate me! Curse ME!"**

"Shut up. Shut up! SHUT UP!"

Jin was holding his head together like it was about to fall apart, the voices were there and they wanted to be heard. Jin knew he had to find some way to repress the sounds and get his head straight, and it wasn't going to be from out here on this mountain-side. Jin remounted his Honda and took off back towards the city in a rush, making the sound of the wind drown out the voices inside him. Jin needed something real, something to break. Jin was looking for a fight.

…

The crowd moved in a deranged trance as the heavy music of a metal band filled the club. The noise was raw and deafening as people jumped and shoved into one another in time with the powerful riffs infusing their soul and coaxing out their inner demons. However, below the crowd, underground, is where the real party was taking place. An underground fighting ring was the secret attraction of this club and it drew some of Tokyo's most blood thirsty mob. The circled-off chain-link fence, decorated with barbed wire is being washed of the blood from the last match up which only lasted about 2 minutes. The fight was a 3-on-1 handicap with the lone fighter wiping the floor of his three competitors with an extraordinary flurry of kicks. The fighter now sat in a group of his mates and started tallying up their earnings for the night. The group ran a fight fixing operation that started only recently here and were always pulling in big wins. By manipulating the odds which to any fool would seem like a sure win for them, they were notorious for butchering new blood and turning the tables when least suspected, and by giving a share of their spoils to the right people, they could continue their little operation without much resistance.

The king-pin of this operation was the best fighter out of the bunch; while his pals would start off in the earlier matches and feint defeats to build up the competitors' earning, when the opportune time presented itself he would step in and put all the odds against himself with a foolish wager. Before the idiots could become wise to the danger they were putting themselves in, the leader of the group would wipe the floor with his opponents and rake in the cash.

The leader was an impressive Taekwondo specialist; he wore a biker's outfit consisting of a tight purple tank top, grey jeans with black chaps, cowboy boots with matching spurs at the heels and black fingerless gloves. His hair is an Auburn colour which is loose, brushed back and held in position by his motorcycle goggles which he wears on his head. To most nobodies, he is known as The Blood Talon, but to his closest friends, his name is Hwoarang.

"Fuck, well that was fun! Bringing in the yen tonight aye boys? Hahaha!" Hwoarang hollered to the group.

"You can say that again; this has to be one of our best nights in ages!" one of them replied.

"And the night's still young Jay, any of you in the next fight?"

"Nope." They responded.

"Well," said Hwoarang, stretching his legs, "I think we've all earned a drink for now, who's buying?"

"Obviously the one who suggested." Said Jay.

"Bullshit, you're already stuffing the money from MY fight in your pocket already, may as well put it to good use and get me a beer."

"Shit, I'll go." One of the group pipped in.

"Thank you Knee. You see? That's appreciation right there boys!"

The group sat back and continued to count their earnings as one of the group got some beers for everyone. While he held no official title amongst the group, the Blood Talon was the de-facto leader thanks to his skill in fighting. Learning from one of the best Taekwondo fighters known today, Hwoarang was as skilled as he was brash. He never gave respect or allegiance to anyone, apart from his teacher, and anyone who knew him knew better than to get on his nerves. His profession as a Con-artist was one of the only ways he could earn a living today; after this master's dojo was attacked and put into a hospital in a coma, Hwoarang had been working his ass off to pay not only his teacher's continued treatment but also to repair the dojo. Deep down however, Hwoarang wanted revenge against the person who attacked his master. He didn't know much about the person, only that it was a huge male with green skin. While the details were sketchy, those that had been a witness to the attack had the same story about the aggressor. Hopefully the day would come when he would beat this green man into a pulp for what he had done.

"Guys, I'm heading up to the bar for another beer, anyone game?" Hwoarang asked his group.

When none decided to join, he went up on his own with much of a fuss. The heavy metal music was as loud as ever and the crowds were still packed on the dance floor. Hwoarang strutted through the throngs of people and made his way to the bar. He pushed ahead of two people without a care and signaled the bar attendant.

"Hey babe!" Hwoarang yelled over the music.

"Yes handsome?" the female attendant responded.

"Get me an Asahi!"

"Schooner or bottle?"

"Bottle!"

Bending down, the attendant pulled the beer out of the glass fridge below. Hwoarang took a good look at her as she did so, admiring her assets. When she came back up and turned to hand him his drink, his eyes had confidently not left their point of interest.

"You still want the beer? Or did you see something else you like?" she asked the Blood Talon.

"Hmm, I'd settle for both!" he said proudly.

"I'm kinda taken just so you know!"

"You think I give a damn?"

"Aren't you the bad boy!"

"Well, I hope you're just as bad, otherwise I might be wasting my time!"

"Funny, I'll think it over as I serve some more customers and forget I ever saw you!"

"Good luck with that, they never do!"

With a smirk the attendant walked over to another end of the bar, taking more orders. Hwoarang watched her stroll away and then turned his back to the bar, watching the music before him and casually drank his beer. He lived for that sort of thrill, rarely did a member of the female species ever turn down an offer from the Blood Talon, they were drawn to a bad boy like him and he knew it. A cheeky grin crossed his face as he revelled in his groove and let the music take him.

Arriving in his biker outfit, Jin walked into the heavy metal club. He didn't have to wait in line as the security of the gate knew very well who he was. The pounding rock of the band blasted into his ears and crushed the evil voices within him, finally making him feel a little more relaxed. He had been to this place a few times before and knew the secret attraction that this club had on offer. Moving through the crowd, he made his way to the stairway and headed below ground to the fighting ring. He walked past some other fighters and made his way to the attendance booth.

"I'm looking to fight." He said to the man behind the caged off counter.

"Are you a new entrant?"

"No."

"Name?"

"Kazama."

The man looked through a ledger until he came across Jin's last name.

"Welcome back, you looking to empty your pot or continue staking?"

"Continuing, and here." Jin gave the man a small duffle bag filled with yen, "Add this into mine as well, it's 10 million."

The man took it eagerly, "Well, you'll definitely get some action tonight. With the money your name has, you're gonna be a target for sure."

"Good, pronounce me then. I'll take any fighter willing as soon as they want."

"Right away."

Jin walked off and took an empty seat as the man pulled a PA system to his mouth and talk into it. His voice rang through the room.

"Alright boys, one of our big pot earners has just entered. He's currently sitting on fourteen and a half million yen and is yet to be dethroned. He's taking on all-comers as I speak so if you're looking to take this hefty prize for yourself, just make your way over to the booth and place a wager."

Eyes light up at the news, including Hwoarang's group. The one named Jay turned to the others and spoke.

"Over fourteen million in a pot? We'd be mad not to jump on this! I'm getting in on that!"

As he leapt up, the man named Knee held him back.

"Hang on, don't you wanna wait for Hwoarang? This is some serious money after all."

"Fuck that!" Jay replied, "He's still upstairs and someone is gonna start get this fight any minute when they grow a spine. I'm not letting this one go!"

Letting go, Knee watched Jay quickly walk over to the booth and lay down 80,000 yen on the counter.

"Put me in a fight with the guy!"

The man looked at the money and back at Jay, "For an over 10 million pot, it's at least 500 grand buy-in."

"500,000 yen? You're kidding me!"

"Them's the rules Jay, deal with it."

Disgruntled but not letting it go, Jay reached in his pockets and forked out 420,000 yen to meet the buy-in. The man behind the counter, checked the amount and then pulled it in, turned towards the PA to speak once more.

"Our next fight was just been scheduled. Will fighters Jay and Kazama make their way to their opposite corners."

Hearing his name, Jin stood up and took his place outside the circular ring and saw another fighter take his place on the opposite side. The PA voice filled the room once more.

"This next fight is for the before mentioned super pot which is now standing at 15 million yen. The challenger is fighting out of South Korea and stands at 5'9". Put your hands together for…JAY!"

Scattered applause rang around the fighting ring with a couple whistles coming from Hwoarang's group, cheering their pal on.

"His opponent and the pot holder is fighting out of Japan and stands at 5'11". Make some noise for…KAZAMA!"

An equal amount of scattered applause filled the large room and before long, punters were already making their bets. The gates for the two fighters were opened and the two stepped inside with the gate shutting behind him with a bang. Both men met in the centre and took their respective fighting positions and readied their fists.

"As usual," the PA lastly added, "This fight will go on until there is only one man standing tall in the middle of the ring, there are no rounds, no stipulations and certainly no rules. Fighters, on my mark!"

With that, a bell was hit and the two men immediately closed distance. Jay started off the fight with a steady combination of right and left fists, which Jin easily blocked. The raven-hair studied his opponents moves as Jay remained the aggressor, forcing Jin back with each blocked strike. Jay then stepped off and launched back in with a heavy side kick, aiming for Jin's abdomen. Jin sidestepped the attack and used the opening to attack with a Left Right combo and finished with a spinning back Fist, knocking Jay backwards and into a sitting position. As Jay sprung back up, Jin unleashed a series of lefts and rights, tearing Jay's defences apart with each hit and then broke through the guard and flipping him backwards with a deadly right kick called a Demon Steel Pedal. The crowd 'oohed' at the powerful hit as blood was drawn from Jay's nose from the kick and he was sent crashing down face first onto the concrete floor. Groggily, Jay stood back up and wiped the blood from his nose off.

"You're gonna pay for that!" he yelled at Jin, who simply smirked at the foolishness before him.

Jay charged into Jin and started unleashing powerful body kicks in quick succession, all being blocked once again by the raven-hair. While taking a step back from time to time to increase the distance, the kicks didn't affect Jin in the slightest, even Xiaoyu's attacks were tougher than this guy. Jay then transitioned into a combination of hard rights and lefts followed by two head kicks. As the last kick came through, it tore through the guard of the Kazama and knocked his face back, facing away from Jay.

"Yeah! How'd you like that!" Jay gloated at his first landed hit.

Jin's face slowly came back to face his opponent, there was a slight bruise on his left cheek. Jin however didn't look fazed by the kick at all, instead a smile went across his face.

"Hmph!"

At lightening pace, Jin struck Jay with a powerful right fist which took his opponent off his feet and launched him into the steel ring. As his body collided with the chain-link, Jin rushed in and started wailed sickening punches into Jay's body and head. His opponent quickly couldn't defend as the punches kept coming in. These weren't the same kind of strikes that Jin would do in his sparring match with Xiaoyu, these were not held back in the slightest and hit Jay with full fury. The thunderous blows sent shockwaves around the room as the small crowd watched in a mixture of thrill and empathy. Finally, Jin let off the barrage by performing a Laser Scraper which was a three punch combination that consists of two of the same hooking punches he had been using before but ended with a vicious uppercut that rode Jay up the chain-link fence, nearly going over the barbed wire. As his body came back down, Jin grabbed Jay and performed an Over the Shoulder Reverse, slamming Jay face first into the concrete floor. Jin stood over the body of his opponent that didn't move and looked to the caged booth, waiting for the bell to sound. It eventually came as the man came to his senses and Jin walked back to the gate he had originally entered.

"Your winner, KAZAMA!"

The remaining three members of Hwoarang's group rushed in from the other side of the ring and came to their friend's aid.

"JAY! JAY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT! OH GOD HE'S NOT COMING TO!"

"YOU BASTARD!" One yelled to Jin, causing him to turn around, "I'LL FUCKING WRECK YOU RIGHT NOW I SWEAR!"

Jin shrugged his shoulders and started to walk back into the ring.

"I'll take on the 3 of you right now if you want."

The trio of men looked at each other and back at Jin. While the temptation of beating his guy senseless was inviting, the fact that he so calmly requested the handicap as well as the dominating display from before was reason enough for the men to assume that the raven-hair knew exactly what he was doing by picking a fight with all three of them.

"For three men it's a buy-in of 3 million yen." The PA voice announced.

"Three million?" One of the group exclaimed in disbelief, "We've never played for that kind of money in the first place!"

"Well, it's always double if the match is a handicap." Explained the member named Knee.

"So what are we gonna do?"

The three thought it over for a moment, taking into account the balance of temptation and risk. While the danger of the situation was apparent, 18 million yen was just too good to pass up. Carrying their friend Jay out of the ring, they paid the buy-in and entered the ring. The fighters were once again announced and the bell was rung. Jin stood in the centre and eyed the three men circling around him, each putting on a fearsome face. The raven-hair could see behind the trio's expressions and smiled at the coming clean-up. The three then charged in at the same time, yelling a battle cry as they did. For Jin, the voices were slowly starting to vanish.

"Hmph!"

...

Back upstairs, Hwoarang had just finished a second beer and walked away from the bar with the female attendant's phone number written on a napkin. Whether or not it was real didn't matter to the Blood Talon as he strode back downstairs with a spring in his step. He felt good and the alcohol wasn't even close to affecting his high tolerance. From underground he could hear a mixture of cheering and gasps from the crowd, he had seen several people starting to make their way down on mass and guessed that a good fight must be brewing. Still, there was no one here who could draw crowds like he could. He didn't even bother to look at the combatants as he walked down the final steps as he made it to the large room. There were a lot of people here now and from this level they were crowding the outside of the ring in such a way that Hwoarang couldn't even see into the ring properly. He decided to walk over to the table his group were situated at and ask them who was fighting.

"Ey boys! Who are the chumps in-"

Hwoarang cut his sentence short as he saw only one member of his group at the table, slumped almost off his chair entirely and covered in what looked like blood. The Blood Talon rushed over and helped his friend up and saw that it was Jay. He was terribly bruised and swollen in several areas as well as blood trickling from his nose and lower lip. While he could still be seen breathing, his eyes were droopy and his body almost unable to keep up straight.

"Jay! Jay, what the fuck happened?! Who did this to you? Where are the boys?!"

Although very disoriented, Jay could manage to utter a few words.

"Guys…ring…K…Kazama…"

"What?"

A ding from the bell was heard causing Hwoarang to turn to the ring and see the crowd cheering. He gently settled Jay down in a comfortable position and then pushed past the crowd to the front. Upon reaching the chain-link, his eyes widened in shock and his teeth clenched together. Inside the ring was Knee and two of his other group members all spread-eagle on the concrete floor with similar bruises all over their exposed skin. In the centre of them was a lone fighter wearing an Orange biker's jacket, red and blue jumpsuit pants, black combat boots and wearing studded gloves. While breathing heavily, it didn't look like the guy had broken a sweat in his match and looked eager for more.

"Once again, here is your winner, KAZAMA!"

However, as the gate behind him opened, the fighter turned and started to walk out the ring. Hwoarang rushed over to the other gate and ran in, calling out to the fighter with his back turned.

"HEY! WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!"

The man's shoulders shrugged in a sigh and then turned to face the disturbance.

"You think you can fuck up my boys and get away with it? Now you have to deal with me!" Hwoarang yelled.

"Sorry, I'm done for the night. Maybe some other time." The man answered.

"You wish there was another time! Is your name Kazama?"

"Yes?"

"Well Kazama, you fucked with the wrong people, and now I'm going to put YOU on the floor. And I don't care if you want to face me or not. If it's in here or outside, I'm going to broke every bone in your body!"

Jin finally turned his body to fully face his adversary at the other side of the ring and crossed his arms.

"If you wanna fight, you better bring something to the table then." Jin told him.

A smile went across Hwoarang's face as he yelled over to the caged booth, "How much is this guy to fight?"

"His pot is now at 18 million." Came the PA's reply.

His grins quickly vanished as he heard the big 8-digit figure.

"Well…that makes sense." He said out loud to himself and then spoke up for the booth once more, "Cool! I'll make this interesting, put in my pot!"

"All of it?" the PA blasted.

"You heard me!"

"Alright, the combined pot comes to 30 million!"

The crowd went into pandemonium at the gigantic sum and betters and punters went into a flurry. So much noise was coursing out of the underground that it felt like it might drown out the music from above. As the prices were paid and the 3 fallen men were carefully carried out of the ring by Hwoarang's orders, the ring was once again washed of the blood it had obtained over the previous two fights and the two warriors took their positions on either side of the ring. The crowd was huge now and seats were being used to get a good view of the action. In a matter of around 5 minutes, the place looked like an official fighting ring with crowds seating in the front, people standing in the middle and the outer layer filled with spectators standing on chairs themselves to get a good look at the coming action. The voice of the PA settled down the crowd.

"Alright gentlemen, tonight for you we have without a doubt the most expensive fight we've ever had! Two fighters will enter, one will leave standing. Introducing your fighters! First, fighting his way out of South Korea, this man stands just over 5'11" and is a practitioner of Taekwondo. Please give it up for the Blood Talon, HWOARANG!"

Cheers erupted in the room as Hwoarang's name was called. He didn't acknowledge the jubilation as his eyes were firmly set on the man before him.

"Lastly, fighting his way out of Japan, this man stands at 5'11" and is a Martial Arts fighter. His fists are like lightening so let your voice be heard for, KAZAMA!"

More cheers filled the huge room and Jin stood confidently in his place and eyed his opponent. Both fighters made their way towards the middle of the ring and held up their hands and readied themselves. Both fighters could tell that the other was not going to be an easy opponent and knew that a wild onslaught wasn't going to win them this battle. It was going to be long, tough and bloody.

"Fighters, at the sound of the bell, you know what to do!"

The bell was struck and the two immediately closed distance. Before Jin could pull a punch, Hwoarang kicked things off, literally, with a quick salvo of powerful kicks which kept the raven-hair on the defence. All he could do for the moment was keep up his guard and brush off the relentless attacks. From time to time, Jin would get an opportunity and attack with a quick combination of punches and quicks, but the Blood Talon was just as stalwart in his defence and evaded the powerful blows efficiently. The fight would open like this for a while, Hwoarang would stay on the offensive for the most time while Jin hung on by keeping his guard up. The crowd would slowly become restless and cry out for blood from the two men which intensified the Blood Talon's attacks. He switched up his attack and opened with a one two punch combination which took Jin off balance, Hwoarang then capitalised with a spinning jump kick which knocked the Kazama onto the floor with a harsh impact. The crowd roared with the first real hit taking place and the Blood Talon grinned at the obvious upper-hand he had over his opponent. Jin didn't take long to get up however, he rolled backwards and expertly rose back up in his fighting stance.

"You're not bad." Jin teased.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up already." Came the brash reply.

Hwoarang dashed back in and got back to where he left off and attacked with Machinegun left kicks, forcing Jin back with each repeated strike. Jin would sidestep the last kick and tried to knock the Blood Talon down with a right fist but Hwoarang would duck under the hit and countered with a Sweep Kick that took the raven-hair's legs away from the floor once more. As Jin tried to regain his footing, he was launched by a stiff right boot called a Plasma Blade. The attack caused Jin to roll backwards from the force of the hit and bounce off the chain-link. More noise erupted from the crowd as people cheered on the Blood Talon to not relent his assault. Not wanting to let his audience down, Hwoarang leapt into the air in the direction of the Kazama and attacked with a Hunting Hawk aerial combination. While the first two kicks hit Jin soundly, the third dropping heel kick was somehow dodged as Jin sidestepped off of the ring. Hwoarang landed and turned to attack the Kazama once again, this time with a combination of Blizzard Kicks. However, this time, instead of blocking the hits, Jin read every kick and palmed them off like they were nothing. Once the combo ended, Jin countered with a Double Lift Kick that launched Hwoarang up into the air. Jin then proceeded to juggle his opponent with two rising uppercuts and followed with a vicious Dragon Uppercut, ending with a leaping side kick to knock Hwoarang away. The crowd started to cheer again, this time louder than before. It looked like they now had a real fight on their hands.

Hwoarang got to his feet and looked at his opponent in a new light. No one had ever telegraphed his moves like that and capitalised on it so well. This guy, Kazama, was no ordinary fighter and now the Blood Talon was fully aware of it. He knew this Kazama guy was a heavy hitter but he didn't think that he'd be so tactical. While it looked like Hwoarang had the upper hand, Jin was studying his move set and acting off the counter only, that way he could conceal his fighting style and keep Hwoarang in the dark about what he can do. Now Jin had the advantage and was going to act accordingly.

Jin quickly closed the distance and rocked the Blood Talon with a fierce combination of punches and kicks that when high and low. Hwoarang could barely read the moves and was getting knocked further and further back as the crushing blows kept coming in. Before long, Hwoarang had his back against the chain-link himself and was pinned, keeping his arms up to weather the hits as they continued to rain down on him. Jin's Laser Cannon combo was relentless, the powerful swinging punches kept coming in and pounding Hwoarang back into the steel. Feeling the end was near, Jin took a small step back and winded up the right fist to unleash a vicious Demon's Paw, but the Blood Talon wasn't out of it yet. In a split second movement, as Jin's powerful right went in for the winning blow, Hwoarang would jump up into the air and kick off Jin's right shoulder, using it as a platform. This Human Cannonball used the momentum of the two fighters to smash Jin head first into the cage as Hwoarang got to a safe distance, ready for the upcoming retaliation from the raven-hair. Jin's retaliation was swift as he launched back into the fight and attacked with a sharp, spinning back fist into a high side kick. While the two attacks were blocked, a triple spinning kick from Jin was able to break through the Blood Talon's defences and toss him in the air like a juggling act. Jin continued the crushing assault and hit Hwoarang with a brutal Electric God Fist uppercut. Lightning sizzled around the Kazama's body as the hit launched Hwoarang off his feet and had him land hard on his back a few metres away.

The crowd was once again in uproar over the spectacle taking place. What originally looked like a sure fire win for Hwoarang had completely turned into Jin's favour, his attacks were decisive and monstrous in their force. Hwoarang already showed signs of injury with his lip busted and bleeding and bruises on his arms from defending. Still, the Blood Talon found it in himself to rise to his feet, spitting out some blood as he did. Jin looked at his opponent with a hint of admiration for his tenacity, but really, did he ever stand a chance?

"I think it's time for you to give up. You're out of your league. Your whole group were out of it from the beginning anyway." Jin confidently said as he walked forward.

"Ha!...You just don't know…when you're messing with the wrong guy do ya? You haven't won shit Kazama!"

Hwoarang tore into Jin with a ruthless Total Outrage combo; the three hard lefts and two swift right kicks ending with the Blood Talon in his Right Stance. While Jin had evaded the blows, this new motion switch had caught him off guard. Hwoarang suddenly followed with a stylish Right Jab to Spin Kick combo, nearly taking Jin's head off with the kick. Before he could recollect himself, Jin was knocked away with a running Screw Kick, causing the Kazama to fall backwards once more from the impact. Still, Jin was able to take the fall with grace and swiftly get back onto his feet. Hwoarang wasted no time in pressing the advantage and launched swift kick after swift kick at his adversary, always taking note to switch up his stances to try and get Jin to keep guessing the next attack. Jin did well in staying upright even though the kicks were breaking through his defences and collecting his face on multiple occasions. Jin eventually brushed off a heel kick aimed for his temple and hit Hwoarang with a Flash Punch combo.

Hwoarang rolled out of the move and ended up a metre away, looking at Jin with a grin. Jin then felt a warm liquid above his right eye and upon pressing at it, he saw that he was bleeding above the eye. Jin looked at Hwoarang and returned a grin of his own. By now, the voices had completely vanished for Jin and even though his head had been kicked in a couple times, he felt much better than he had ever been. For once, another person could stand up to his power and it entertained him. He felt surprisingly happy for the first time today, perhaps in a long time. He was having fun and the pain was only a minor side-effect to the thrill of the brawl. Still, Jin was competitive and wanted to win now more than ever, this guy was going down. As for Hwoarang; while he was majorly pissed off with what his guy had done to his friends, a small part of him admired how strong he was. It had been a long time since he'd faced somehow who could match him as a fighter and it made the fire inside him burn brighter than ever before. All formalities put aside, Hwoarang was still going to beat the living hell out of this guy and take the money for himself, and he was going to enjoy it.

For several more minutes, the two fighters collided in a stunning display of speed, skill and power. Blows were constantly traded and blood and sweat hit the concrete floor of the ring as a result. There now wasn't a space to spare outside the ring as the two warriors continued to punch and kick at each other, the crowd had overflowed the room as people watched the spectacular bout play out and not wanting to miss a second of the action. These people craved these types of fights as it was the purest form of combat to them; two men in a ring, one man will walk out, the other won't. It was poetry in motion for the spectators and they couldn't get enough as they cheered at the two fighters, satiating their blood-fix. Hwoarang attacked with a Spinning Back Kick called Ripoff while Jin attacked with a powerful Spinning High Kick of his own. The two left legs clashed with tremendous force, sending shockwaves into the crowd. The cheers were deafening from the competitive nature of the two as they both were sent backwards. At that moment, both men were ready to finish this fight with the next blow. Both Jin and Hwoarang rolled forward at the same time and performed their best strikes. Jin performed a Lightning Uppercut, a powerful uppercut that started with Jin spinning towards Hwoarang and launching upwards with his left fist with a Dragon Uppercut infused with Lightning. At the same time, Hwoarang performed a Dynamite Heel, bringing his left foot up straight into the air and after twisting his body towards Jin, bringing the heel down like a battle-axe with a force powerful enough to crack stone in two. As Jin's fist connected with Hwoarang's chin and sent him skyward, Hwoarang's heel came crashing down on top of Jin's head, smashing him into the floor. The concrete beneath Jin cracked from the attack as Hwoarang flew up and down into the concrete, breaking it himself.

Everyone watching had their mouths gaping at what they had just seen. Both fighters were now laid out on the floor not moving with the floor of the ring an absolute wreck. No one could dare speak as they stared wide eyed, all that could be seen as signs of life were the two men's chests heaving in air. After about a minute, the PA voice rang over everyone's head.

"Uhhh, well…the fight…well it seems that this fight has no true victor. Both men have been on the floor for a minute and don't seem inclined to continue further. This match…is a Draw!"

The crowd looked at each other in confusion, wondering what a draw means. The PA answered that for them.

"That means that all bets made prior the match are hereby split back to the betters."

Everyone then sounded in acknowledgement as a mental weight was lifted off their shoulders as they wondered what would happen to their money. People moved around everywhere and slowly got their betting money back in an orderly fashion and started to leave the underground. Inside the ring, both Jin and Hwoarang were slowly getting up themselves, both physically hurt but better off with it. That was at least from one person.

"A draw? What the fuck is a draw?" cried out Hwoarang.

The Blood Talon limped out of the ring and made his way to the caged booth.

"What do you mean draw? I'm still standing!" he yelled at the man behind the counter.

"Not when the fight was on you were." Came the man's reply, "Both fighters couldn't make it to their feet in time so the bout is officially a draw."

"BULLSHIT" Hwoarang yelled, despite the pain of doing so, "I don't draw! I win! You put this fight back on right now!"

Another member of the staff came up the man behind the counter and talked into his ear. The man nodded and turned back to Hwoarang.

"Can't be done tonight, the attention we got for your fight is too much to continue any further, we're closing up shop for tonight as a safety precaution from any law enforcement. Sorry Blood Talon, perhaps another night the two of you are here. Luckily your pot is split from Kazama's pot as well so you're not losing anything."

"But what about my boys?! What did they lose?"

"Nothing can be done about that, they were beaten fair and square. If you want their buy-in back, you'll have to take it up with Kazama."

Hwoarang's gaze left the booth as he spun around to get his sights on Kazama, however, Jin wasn't anywhere to be seen in the ring or outside of it. Hwoarang's eyes darted everyway and then caught a glimpse of a familiar orange jacket at the top of the stairs before disappearing out of sight. The Blood Talon charged off for the stairs and gave chase, barging people out of the way he went. He looked around the dance floor above and after seeing no sign of the Kazama, he rushed outside. He looked in all directions once outside, looking anywhere for the raven-hair. When he finally found the orange jacket of his rival, it was too late. Jin blasted on by, riding a black Honda CBR1000RR and tore through the streets of Tokyo, out of sight. Hwoarang let of a cry of anger and kicked the ground beneath him in a rage.

"Damn you Kazama! I'll get you one day! I swear it!"

He wasn't going to forget his face, or his name. The Blood Talon won't and will never take a loss like that in this life. If he is to look after his master, the one person he cared about in this world, and rebuild the dojo where he trained and learned his skill, Hwoarang would have to keep on winning. Not because he wanted to, because he had to. Every missed opportunity felt like failure to him and even if the man said it was a draw, to Hwoarang, that was just another way of saying you didn't win. He wouldn't have that, and he didn't care how long it would eventually take, Hwoarang was going to face this Kazama once again and wouldn't settle for anything less than total victory.

"I swear it."

* * *

(Yes, the fated draw of the Blood Talon and the Lightning of Fate. Definitely a great way to introduce Hwoarang into the story if I do say so myself. I hope I've written out this fight in a way that it wasn't confusing, I think I still have a way to go in narrating future fights and believe me, in Tekken, that is a must. I think this is only the second time(?) I've written up a chapter that had nothing to do with Himitsu apart from a sentence or two. He'll be in the next chapter I assure you, and no, he's unfortunately not going to school. He's about to turn 20 after all hahahaha. Enjoy!)


	21. An Art to Learn

Chapter 21 – An Art to Learn

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be touching down into Naha in a matter of 30 minutes. For the duration of the flight, please have your seat belts fastened if you are seated, thank you."

The air stewardess' voice disappeared from the plane and was replaced by the returning drone of the engines on each wing outside the aircraft. Up near the back in economy sat the lionheart, Himitsu. He was leaning well back in his seat, hoping that he didn't become sick or anything of the sort. He had gotten terribly sea-sick on his first boat ride and he didn't want a repeat while he was flying over 5,000ft in the air.

It was strange how it had come to this, but it was the only chance he had. He had departed from Chofu Airport the following morning he had arrived in Tokyo and had taken a direct flight to the historical island of Okinawa. It was here that he would hopefully track down his old Sensei from Kagoshima and seek his advice for the foreboding future to follow.

Before Himitsu had left Kagoshima to head back to Kyoto yesterday, he made a quick stop by the old temple to see if Sensei Nikibo was still around. However, upon reaching the site of the temple, he found no temple in sight, only housing apartments.

 _Himitsu looked around in a muddle, this wasn't how it was supposed to look; where the hell had the temple gone? It had been replaced and no Buddhist monk was in sight causing Himitsu to silently flip-out._

" _What the f… Where's the goddamn temple?" he said to himself._

 _Heading into the foreign site, Himitsu's eyes looked around for any sight of familiarity but couldn't find any. Then he saw an elderly woman come out of one of the apartments and start to sweep the entranceway. Himitsu took it upon himself to ask the lady what had happened here._

" _Excuse me Obasan, didn't there used to be a Buddhist temple at this place you're living?"_

 _The woman turned to face Himitsu and craned her neck up to get a glimpse of him, he had his white hair covering the right side of his face pretty well and wasn't wearing the hood over his hair. Still, his scar from his angle would be quite noticeable from this distance but the woman didn't seem to notice it or be bothered by it. Perhaps her eyesight wasn't at its best._

" _Buddhist temple? I won't know young man. I've only lived here for 4 years."_

 _The words dug into Himitsu's head, this lady had been living here for 4 years, even before his coma. Whenever the temple had been taken down, it was well before a time of remembrance for the lionheart to comprehend. Someone else had to know though._

" _Do you think there's anyone who lived here longer than you have, someone who would know when the temple was here?" Himitsu asked._

" _Well, there's the landlord. I don't know about any temple my dear but perhaps he could help you." The woman replied._

" _Sweet! Umm, where is he?"_

 _The lady pointed Himitsu in the right direction and he thanked her for her help. Moving on he entered one of the apartments and got onto the first floor. He stood outside a door with the numeral 1 on it and rang the bell. After a few seconds, footsteps could be heard from inside and the door was opened. Inside was a short, middle-aged man with a fat gut and a circular head. He too craned his neck up to look at his visitor, but unlike the lady, his facial expression showed that he had noticed the gruesome scar on the lionheart's face. Not worrying about it Himitsu began to speak._

" _Hi, sorry to bother you. But I believe that a Buddhist temple used to be on this site. But now, obviously, it isn't. Do you know when it was knocked down?"_

 _The man whiffed at the air through his nose before replying, "Hmm. Maybe. What's it to you?"_

" _Look, I'd just appreciate it if you tell me. I used to come here a lot when I was…younger."_

 _Another sniff, "Yeah there was a temple here. Was here until about…uhh…7 years ago? 8 maybe? I'm not good with dates."_

" _No that's alright." Said Himitsu, wanting to speed up the conversation, "Did you happen to be here as the temple was taken down?"_

" _Yyyeah? Yeah I believe I was, what about it?"_

" _Do you happen to know where the monks that lived here would be going afterwards? Specifically, the Sensei of the temple, Sensei Nikibo. Do you know where he went?"_

 _The man started to scratch his head as he pondered over the question. Himitsu just looked at him with worry in his eyes, hoping that this small fat man would be of use to him. The man's head gradually came back up and he answered._

" _I don't know the name, but I happened to recall someone there telling me something about Okinawa I think."_

" _Okinawa? Are you sure?"_

" _No I'm not sure! That's just my answer! It's not easy to think back so many years to something you don't give a crap about. Now, you here for anything else or can I be left in peace?"_

 _Himitsu just turned and walked back out of the apartment, not bothering to answer. He heard the man mutter some words under his breath and closed the door._

All he had now was the man's word. No one else in the neighbourhood had been of any better help to Himitsu and now he was on a plane with only the smallest of leads as to his former Sensei's where-a-bouts. Any searches or inquiries as to the opening of a new temple in Okinawa in the past 8 years or anywhere the name Nikibo could show up revealed nothing. The best Himitsu could do now at this time would be to search every Buddhist temple on the island. If he turned up with nothing, the lionheart was at a loss for what he was going to do then.

Soon enough, the plane touched down in Naha Airport and its passengers exited the plane. In a hotter climate now, Himitsu took off his Windbreaker and tied its sleeves around his waist and wore only a bluish-grey singlet over his chest. He didn't have much on him apart from a remaining 128,000 yen he carried in a backpack and he knew that this money was only going to last him for a month or so if he wasn't careful. Once out of the terminal, Himitsu found an information desk and got the clerks to give him a map of Okinawa with the locations of every Buddhist temple on the island. It took them a while of searching it up on a computer and even with several dozen spots marked, they told Himitsu that it was almost certain that this wasn't even the total amount of temples on the island. Not deterred by the task set before him, Himitsu left the airport and began his search.

The Capital of Okinawa Island, Naha, was a city with a blend of Asian customs and traditions. With a strong presence of Chinese, Thai and Indonesian influences, the city felt like a multicultural Asia in some respects. The city was a blend of new and old architecture with a hint of Western inspiration and although Himitsu had a map to guide him around the city, it still felt very easy to become lost.

One by one, Himitsu would visit the Buddhist temples of the city and ask for Sensei Nikibo. Everytime, the answer was not the one he wanted to hear. He would ask for the locations of any nearby temples not marked on his map and then move on. In about 3 hours' time, the lionheart had visited every temple in Naha and come out empty handed. He decided to expand his search and make his way up the island to Okinawa city. While there were less temples found there, the monks he had spoken with had highlighted several temples not originally put onto the map in its vicinity.

He got himself a taxi and sat in deep thought as the cab made its way up North; this search so far had been unsavoury to say the least and the chances of finding his Sensei were slipping by the minute. There were so many things that he had to do, the most important of them all was saving his brother. He was adamant that that Ogre creature had something to do with Jun's disappearance, the more he thought about it, it made no sense for Jun's body to not be found in Yakushima and people to assume that she had just died. What started off as a desperate grab at whatever excuse he could find had grown into granite belief, Jun was alive and he would find her. But first, his brother would have to be stopped from throwing his life away. Himitsu cared too much for Jin to let him do such an insane thing and he had a gut feeling that this was a sure-fire way to lead to Jin's demise. Jin's guilt for the night that Ogre attacked was misplaced; had Jin been around to fight Ogre alongside Himitsu, there was no denying that the two of them would be dead to this day. Jin's early exit from the fight gave the two of them a second chance, especially Himitsu, he owed his life to Jin for what he did for him. No one else could have brought him out of those woods and into a hospital. How he ended up in Kyoto is anyone's guess but the lionheart had a feeling that Heihachi was involved in it all.

 _Heihachi…_ he pondered to himself. That man was definitely a cause for Jin's present behaviour and attitude, he could feel similar traits from both men yesterday, traits that Jin didn't have 3 years ago. His brother was a different person on the inside thanks to his grandfather, those 3 years had been enough to mould the Kazama into the perfect right-hand to the Head of the Zaibatsu. And it was a hand that Himitsu felt could be easily sacrificed if Heihachi so desired. Wanting to host a tournament that he believes will lure in a monster to fight his grandson seemed insane on so many levels, so insane that there had to be an ulterior motive to it all. If there was anyone that would be able to stand in Himitsu's way from saving his brother, it had to be him.

Once the taxi had reached Okinawa city, Himitsu restarted his search. Once again he would prowl the streets and visit the temples of the city and ask for Sensei Nikibo. Still he was turning up short in his endeavour. His spirit was starting to wane as his search was coming to its end, only a few more temples were left in the city and no new temple had been uncovered by the monks of the city. He arrived at a Buddhist temple in Okinawa that was close to the ocean, it was called Ryufukuji and was a lime coloured three-storey building. Opposite the temple was a house with a cherry blossom growing inside its fence that caught Himitsu's eye. It had been a while since he had seen one and it instantly reminded him of Jun as he gazed at it in nostalgia. He thought that perhaps it may be a sign of good fortune to his search and at that entered the temple. There weren't too many people here at the moment at this time of the day, it had passed noon and the sky was now grey with clouds. A few monks wearing kesas scuffled by eyeing Himitsu with caution as he walked past, they weren't the ones he wished to speak to, before long he found a monk wearing a more formal kesa known as a hangesa and spoke to him.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Sensei by the name of Nikibo. Do you happen to know anyone by that name who came here in the last 8 years?"

The monk's eyes narrowed at the name and paused for a moment before responding, "Such knowledge is not so easily obtained."

"So you DO know him?"

"I know of no man by that name to a common stranger of this temple. I cannot help you."

The monk started to walk away but Himitsu held on to one of his sleeves in desperation, he had come this far and finally was onto something here. He was not going to let this slip out of his fingers.

"No, wait! Please, I was once a member of his temple in Kagoshima before it was taken down, I need to see him! This is important!" he begged.

The monk withdrew his sleeve and looked Himitsu up and down, pondering his intentions.

"Whether or not I know of a Sensei by the name Nikibo, I cannot divulge any knowledge unless I am sure you are a friend to him. Do you have any proof of your relationship to him?"

The lionheart's mind went into overdrive, thinking of any way to answer this question. He had nothing on him that could allude to a connection to Sensei Nikibo, no memento or anything of the sort. All he had was his memories of Nikibo, _Memories…something to remember him by…!_ A distinctive memory clicked in Himitsu's head, a memory that had to help him in this scenario. He looked at the monk and answered.

"Sensei Nikibo wears a steel-frame kasa, a heavy one at that. I asked him one time why he wears one in his old age and not simply wear a straw one. He replied to me saying: Pleasure is the seed of Pain; Pain is the seed of Pleasure."

At the answer, the monk's eyes lit up and a warm smile came upon his face, "Very well, I can see you know of the Sensei."

Himitsu's eyes lit up also, "Is he here?!"

"No."

"W-…what?"

"He does not reside in this temple, he lives at another, further North of here. He used to live here but now has a temple to himself."

"Okay? Can you mark it on this map?"

"I'll try." The monk looked over the North part of Okinawa Island and eventually dotted a spot, "I think it's somewhere around there. Fortune to your search."

"Thank you for your help." Himitsu said, bowing to the monk.

The monk returned the bow and soon Himitsu was off again. Catching another cab and after a short 20 minute drive, the lionheart was at his destination. Stepping out into the town of Kin, Himitsu walked around the quiet streets until he came to a block that was barricaded up an old stone wall. Inside was a small forest of sorts and from the outside it was luscious and green and looked almost out of place next to the shops and houses nearby. Reaching the entrance, the signs read out; Kinkannon-ji, Himitsu had reached the place. Taking a deep breath, he proceeded through the walk-way and made his way towards the temple inside. The sound of the wind flowing through the trees and playing with the wind-chimes that hung from them settled the angst within him as he continued on further. He came up outside an old temple, so far not seeing any faces he recognised. He moved forward and walked up the steps and inside the temple, inside it was just as quiet as the outside. Looking around he spotted a monk setting down some tea at a small Japanese table called a Kotatsu, as he turned to face the lionheart, Himitsu felt that he recognised this man. While he definitely wasn't Sensei Nikibo, his face definitely was recognised alongside the old man he was looking for. The name then came into Himitsu's head as he approached.

"Obo?" he called out to the monk, those eyebrows stood up at the name.

"Yes? Do I know you?"

"Obo, it's me! Himitsu!" a smile came across Himitsu's face as he said this, he was definitely at the right place.

"Himitsu? Uhh, the name doesn't really ring a bell…" Obo replied with a sad look on his face.

"Sure it does!" Himitsu continued, "You don't remember a young child with long hair from Kagoshima who came to your temple a lot?"

Obo gasped as the clogs started to turn in his head, "Oh! Himitsu! Yes, I remember now, wow! You look so different…what happened to your face?"

"Nevermind that. It's great to see you! Where's Sensei Nikibo? I need to speak with him urgently."

"Sensei? Oh he's, he's meditating down below right now. It would be best not to disturb him really, wait until he's out."

Himitsu was too impatient to wait, "What do you mean below?"

"There is a cave below the temple, it is a sacred place to the Buddha. Only the most devout would spend their time down there like the Sensei does."

"Can I see it?"

"I would prefer you wouldn't Himitsu, it IS sacred after all."

"Obo, you know me well enough, even if it's been over a decade. You know I'm just going to go down myself and investigate. You're better off following me and showing me where everything is so I don't do anything stupid."

Obo sighed, "Alright fine. Just…don't do what you said you don't want to do."

"Anything stupid?"

"Exactly."

The two men then left the temple and made their way to a cave entrance that spiralled down below the Earth. Obo and Himitsu walked down the steps heading into the cave, their path lit by lanterns and spotlights where necessary. In the cave, the walls were decorated with Buddhist tapestry and kami statues emplaced in the rock. The ceiling was covered with stalactites and the lights illuminated the area in a faint gold, it was mesmerising for Himitsu to witness. Obo spent the time walking Himitsu through the different alcoves giving him an impromptu tour, before long they came up to a gate leading into a darkened room.

"Here is where Sensei Nikibo will mediate for a majority of his time. He doesn't really perform any sessions anymore, that's my responsibility around here. You could say he's semi-retired hahaha."

Obo had a little chuckle to himself before continuing, however Himitsu wasn't listening, better yet, he wasn't following Obo anymore. As the man walked on, Himitsu had already gone through the gate in complete silence. Obo soon turned around and found himself all alone.

"Himitsu?" he let out a deep sigh, "Should've known that was going to happen…"

Himitsu crept along the tunnel, seeing a faint light in the distance. Upon reaching it, he came up to a room built into the cave. A main hall with a wooden floor and Buddhist decorations on the walls, this place was known as a Butsuden meaning Hall of Buddha. The room was filled with candles around the outside giving light to the place and at the end of the room was a small shrine dedicated to Buddha. In the middle of the room was an old man wearing a Igiboso Jodo and on his head was a steel-frame Kasa.

 _Sensei…_

At a snail's pace, Himitsu walked around to face his Sensei and sat down in front of him. Nikibo was in complete silence with his head bowed in prayer, his Kasa covering his face from sight. Himitsu watched the old man in equal silence and observed the Sensei in his meditation. He still looked the same as he always was in this state; in the year that he had known him, Nikibo was on a higher level of piety among his fellow monks, they respected him deeply for his actions and his words of wisdom. It was those same words of wisdom that led Himitsu on the run to Yakushima in the first place, whether the lionheart felt like praising or blaming him for the things that had happened to his life was still in debate. Right now, he felt like he was exactly where he needed to be.

After a minute or two, Himitsu decided to finally speak up, "Sensei?"

To no surprise, the Sensei didn't budge at the noise. His head remained bowed, his meditation was far too profound to be interrupted. Himitsu wasn't about to shake the man out of his mantra, it felt wrong. Without an option, the lionheart simply decided to follow suit and closed his eyes in meditation as well. While it was an argument in itself as to whether being in a coma for over 3 years could amount to 3 years of deep meditation, Himitsu still felt like he was a bit behind in his inner reflection, a lot had happened to him since he had last properly sat down to meditate, might as well get back to it now. With his eyes closed and nothing but the sound of his breath flowing in and out of his nose, he let his mind unwind and wandered into his subconscious. For a while no images could be made out of the blackness, complete darkness was all he could picture. Before long though, Himitsu could feel the texture of the darkness bend and flow like a silk fabric and slithers of dark green and gold danced across his mind. In the distance of the void, Himitsu could make out a translucent body of a giant in the distance and he felt himself gravitating towards it. As he got closer, red orbs started to appear; one by one the orbs would encompass the abyss and fill Himitsu with feelings of pain and torture. He felt trapped in their gaze and gradually the sound of hissing and spitting could be heard all around him. Suddenly the orbs lunged at Himitsu from all sides, he wanted to scream by couldn't find the voice to do so. Instead, another voice was heard, and with it, the orbs froze at the sound.

" _It's good to see you again young one."_

Himitsu's eyes shot open, out of his trance. The voice was instantly recognisable as the Sensei's in front of him, but Sensei Nikibo still hadn't moved a muscle. His face was still covered by his Kasa and it was irritating the lionheart at the sight. He knew he had heard him, he knew it. Looking over to the Sensei's right, he saw a singing bowl next to him. Seeing it as a "polite" way of breaking him out of his meditation, Himitsu reached over for it. Out of nowhere, Sensei Nikibo's right hand shot out and seized Himitsu's wrist causing him to freeze. The movement was so quick and fluent, his body had remained still the whole time, still! Thinking better than to mess around any further, Himitsu's hand started to move back into its original spot, causing the Sensei's hand to release him and return to its original place also. As much as he didn't want to, Himitsu knew that he would have to play along if he was ever going to speak to the old man before him anytime soon, who knew how long he would remain here after all. Himitsu closed his eyes once more and calmed his mind again. This time, he spoke in his head, hoping that through some divine way he could commune with the man in front of him.

" _Sensei? Can you hear me?"_ he said into the void.

For a while there was just silence, _This is just foolish!_ He thought to himself. Here he was, trying to telepathically communicate to an old monk like this was a daily routine. To him it was ridiculous, a waste of time, an embarrassment to him.

" _GODDAMMIT SENSEI ARE YOU THERE OR NOT?!"_

" _No need to shout child."_ Responded a voice from the abyss, Nikibo's voice.

" _Sensei? You can hear me like this?"_

" _What we think, we become."_

" _I'll take that as a yes. You know it's me, Himitsu right?"_

" _I am aware child. It is good to see you again."_

"… _pretty sure you're not looking at me Sensei, you're still meditating."_

" _As are you, young one."_

" _But how is that possible? Us talking with your thoughts?"_

" _We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world."_

" _Well I think it would be wise to look into my thoughts right about now Sensei, cause I've got the feeling that the world's about to get real fucked up, real soon."_

" _No need for the profanities my child, we are strictly speaking after all."_

" _I'm not a child anyone Sensei, it's been over 10 years remember?"_

" _I'm aware of that also young one, but you are still in your youth, especially compared to I."_

" _Alright whatever, Sensei I need your help. I need you to look into my thoughts as you did once before. A lot has happened since I look that leap of faith of yours. You're my only hope right now."_

" _I think I can help you out my child. We can do that later however."_

" _Later? Why the hell not now?!"_

The sound of the singing bowl broke Himitsu out of his thoughts. His eyes snapped open and he could see the face of Sensei Nikibo looking at him with a calm smile. His face was weathered in its old age; his ears were more drooped than before and wrinkles ran all over his profile.

"Because," he finally spoke, "It's time for tea."

Back upstairs in a house adjacent to the temple, Himitsu and the Sensei were knelt before a Kotatsu drinking some hot tea. While Nikibo sat in silence and calmly sipped from his cup, Himitsu was getting antsy and fidgeting on the stop. He had already finished his cup and had a second helping and right now he just wanted the Sensei to help him. He had come all this way and could feel that now he was at the end of his race. Either Sensei Nikibo could help him or he'd end up with nothing, the pressure was getting to him.

"Sensei?" he asked from across the small table.

"Drink some more tea, it will soothe you." The Sensei said.

"I've already had two cups; I'm filled as it is. Can we just get to the important stuff now?"

"Why are you so eager to rush? You're like a monkey trying to snatch the moon's reflection on the water."

"Sensei, I told you just before. This. Is. Important. What's inside my head, you might not like, but I NEED you to see it and pass your word on it. You'll understand what I'm talking about as soon as you do."

Taking a pause to look at the young man before him, Sensei Nikibo set down his cup and placed his palm out in front of him towards Himitsu's head.

"Very well, lean forward young one and close your eyes."

Himitsu willingly did as he was told, stretching his head out over the Kotatsu and feeling the Sensei's hand rest upon it. He closed his eyes and let his mind relax, listening to the sound of his breath as well as the Sensei's. They stayed in this position for several minutes. All the while, Himitsu could feel a warmth on his head as his mind started to shoot out memories of his past and he knew that he was sharing these memories with the Sensei at the same time. Flashes of his life blinked in and out of his sight; his life as a child on the streets, his chance meeting of a ninja swordsman, his short time at the old temple, on the run from gangsters, a beautiful lady in white, running through a forest with a boy at his age, him and the boy training in an open field, fire raging across the forest, a huge green monster destroying a house and fighting a woman, a knife being cut into his face and finally a hand being plunged into the wound. What followed next was pain, searing pain, and the two could feel it like it was happening to them right then and there. A final image came into view, a giant floating in a void and from it, red orbs would appear all over it and everywhere else in sight. The pain was at its tipping point and the red was blinding. The orbs lunged once more.

The two men broke apart from one another in a sweat. Himitsu and the Sensei were breathing heavily and gasping for air as perspiration ran down their face. Himitsu quickly rose to his feet and went across the table to support the old man who looked like he was in a fit of discomfort.

"Sensei! Are you alright?" Himitsu asked the old man.

"I'm fine…fine…" his breathing was still hoarse and accelerated, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was like that. I'm sorry for putting you on this path, had I known it was going to be so terrible for you. You've lost so much…"

"Hey, don't worry about me. I'm still here and my family's still alive."

"It's not that. What that creature did to you…what's…inside… Had I known…"

The Sensei put his head in his hands in a state of remorse, Himitsu didn't know how to respond. What Ogre had done to him was something he couldn't comprehend but he didn't think there was more to it.

"What you do mean what it did to me? What did that creature put in me?" he finally asked.

"Evil." The Sensei whispered through his hands.

Himitsu face went white at the answer, "Well, what do I do about it?"

"I don't know child. But that's not even the worse of it."

"What? What now?"

"The one you call brother, a terrible evil lies inside him now. It's growing by the day, and runs in tandem with your own."

The Sensei took his head out of his hands and grabbed onto Himitsu's hand in a tight grip. His face was pale and agitated.

"One of you will have to face that creature, and that person's life will end in the fight. Darkness will consume the darkness and a malevolent spirit shall be awoken as a result. The world will forever change from that day forth and we will soon know a new age of darkness and misery. This cannot happen child! You must stop this from happening, however you can! You will have to make a choice, a choice that you not be able to back out of when it's too late. These evils must be destroyed from this world, they cannot fester. They cannot!"

Himitsu felt himself fall backwards at the revelation said to him. He stared off into the distance, out of focus. Was it really that bad? His brother was really in that sort of danger? What was this decision he had to make? There was only one thing had made perfect sense to him right now though, almost like it was a predetermined. The tournament. This tournament was going to be when all this went down and Jin and Ogre were at the epicentre of it all. That was what the tournament was all about, Jin's vengeance against the attack on their mother. Himitsu thought that all along that it was Jin's grandfather who had twisted his attitude all on his own, but if it was the result of another force working inside him, trying to twist his mind, then this was something that he HAD to stop.

"I have to stop my brother; his rage is blinding him." Himitsu spoke up.

"Yes, holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; they are the one who gets burned." Said Nikibo, agreeing with Himitsu.

"So what do I do?"

"You will have to confront him when the time is right. Do not be afraid of his strength; there has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it."

"And that time will come-"

"At the tournament, yes."

This whole mind-reading stuff was tough to get used to around the Sensei, "I'm not ready to face him, he's been training for this day for 3 years straight, I've been in a bed that whole time."

The Sensei finally smiled once again, "Do not fret, after all; you are in the birthplace of Karate."

"Karate?"

"Yes." Sensei stood up and led Himitsu outside, "I know of a place that will take you in and…well…give you the training you need. There is a dojo far North of here, in the vicinity of Mount Yonaha. It is well hidden and rather secluded and they usually don't take in any new students."

"So why would they welcome me?"

"Just mention my name and you'll be fine. If you want, I'll get Obo to drive you there right now if you so choose. I'm sure you wouldn't want to waste any more time."

Himitsu turned to face the old man once they were outside, "Will I ever come back here?"

"Don't you remember what I told you last time?"

"Mm?"

The light chuckle came from the Sensei, "To not know is to be a Buddha, to not see is Paradise."

"I'll take that as a yes then." Said Himitsu with a sigh, "By the way, just in case could you mark the dojo on this map I got?"

An hour had passed and Himitsu was now walking up a dirt path into a forest on the northern peninsula of the island. It was now into the evening when Obo had dropped Himitsu off at the side of the road where the dojo's private entrance was located. The trees here were thick and stretched tall into the sky and blocked off most light from entering past the canopies but the lionheart kept walking. If there was one thing that Himitsu knew was the real thing keeping him going, it was the fact that he was still walking. It was his drive, his way of moving forward. No matter how dark the road he travelled, Himitsu had been walking his whole life in it, fearing no evil. There could have been so many times he could have stopped and just stayed on the floor on waited for death to come, he nearly had done so when he was last in Yakushima. While the thought that his mother still lived was the inspiration that brought him to his feet, it was his inner drive that kept both feet moving one after the other. It was his motion of emotion, and for now, his legacy.

Before long, Himitsu had come into a clearing, in it was a large wooden building of many floors and multiple rooms. It looked pre-war in most aspects and had a strong energy coming from it, Himitsu had arrived at the dojo. As he walked up the steps, three men dressed in their training Gi were standing at the top, prohibiting his entry.

"This is private property, leave now and don't come back!" one of the men said to the lionheart.

"Hang on, easy," said Himitsu with his hands raised in innocence, "I was sent here by Sensei Nikibo, perhaps you've heard of him?"

The men looked at one another and the one in the middle spoke up, "What is your purpose at this dojo?"

A look of determination was seen on Himitsu's face as he answered the question, "I am here to learn the Isshin-ryu fighting style, and I want to learn it as soon as possible."

* * *

(Ooooooooh boy... Himitsu is about to train his ass OFF! And this is the fighting style in which he trains, the Isshin-ryu fighting style. I wanted it to be something that was sort of independent from all other fighting styles in Tekken and still hold a Japanese feel to it and as of yet, no Tekken fighter has really had an Okinawan fighting style. The Mishima-ryu is fictitious and yet is based in the mainland of Japan as a newer, flashier variation of Shotokan karate-do while the "traditional" karate that Jin learns after certain events is Kyukushin karate which also originates from mainland Japan. I'm putting a lot of leg work into mentally coming up with the style of moves that Himitsu will learn as a student of the Isshin-ryu but luckily information for it is quite easy to find. We're getting into the real meat of Tekken 3 right about now. I think in about 3 chapters we'll be there. So now, I want to thank everyone who's read the story so far and left their comments and reviews of the story. It seriously makes my day whenever I read those. While being back at university is slowing down the pace of the story in updates, I'm hoping that the increased amount of time allows me to continue writing up some mint material. Finally, don't forget to Favourite and Follow the story as well, it really helps you as well as myself. Enjoy!)

p.s. a reviewer thought that the last chapter was about Hwoarang's Tekken 3 ending, it's not. hahaha


	22. On His 19th Birthday

Chapter 22 – On his 19th Birthday

Today was Jin's 19th birthday and he was spending it as always in the dojo. Constant roundhouse kicks crashed into the third heavy bag of his training session. The other two were already broken from the hits and he hadn't even begun on the other leg. His form was immaculate, every strike was with power and purpose. It wasn't his intention to break the heavy bag but it definitely meant that he was doing it right. With the final kick of his right, the contents of the heavy bag spilt onto the wooden floor beneath him and he turned to his butler Aito with a look that said "another". The butler nodded and had the heavy bags immediately replaced thanks to the ever-ready members of the staff. It was now time for the left leg. Constant, thunderous kicks wailed into the training equipment and the sounds of the impact reverberated off the walls of the dojo. Soon enough, that bag was broken as well and he moved on to the next. The force of his kicks were so great that an additional chain was connected to the floor to keep the bag from swinging around too wildly. These weren't just kicks, they were bombs of energy and just like the first three, soon the next three bags were bleeding sand onto the dojo floor. The young man brought his arms up at a cross over his face, breathing in deeply and upon exhaling, lowered and separated his arms.

"Training even on your birthday ey Kazama?" came a gruff voice from the dojo's entrance.

Jin turned around to face his grandfather, "What's it to you?"

"Oh nothing, it's just that I baked a cake for you and you didn't even get to blow out the candles before Kuma ate it, HAHAHAHA!"

Jin turned his back on Heihachi in disgust, "How about you just get out of my face and leave me to my training."

"Why would I do that?" asked Heihachi, now walking towards his grandson, "Don't you want to know what I got you for your birthday?"

"Not interested."

"I think you might be. Tell me boy, what have you been training all this time for?"

Jin's head turned to look at his grandfather out of the corner of his eye, _Is he being serious right now?_ he thought to himself.

"You know damn well what I've been doing here and for what purpose!" he responded.

"Really? Dammit I must have forgotten after all this time, I'm not a young man with such a brain as yourself Mr. Mechanical Engineer."

Now Jin knew he was being made fun of, he turned abruptly and got into Heihachi's face.

"HOW ABOUT… how about you get out of here and quit wasting my time."

A smile crept up Mr. Mishima face, never a hint of fear could be detected from the Head of the Zaibatsu, it was annoying to witness for the raven-hair.

"Well? Are you just gonna stand there with that dumb look on your face or what? Do something!" he hollered in Heihachi's face.

"How about you tell me what you're doing here and then perhaps I'll be inclined to answer you, boy."

A sharp intake of air blew up Jin's nostril as he held his rage in check, "What I'm doing here, has been three years of continuous, unrelenting training. Training for the day I can wrap my hands around that bastard's throat for killing my mother! And all this time I've been waiting for you to bring me him, like you promised, but you've only been teasing me all the while with his tournament that never comes! You have nothing to show for all this time while I've been patiently waiting for the day you promised! I been nothing but ready for a long time now, but all I can do is wait! WAIT FOR YOU!"

"Well the wait is over."

Jin backed off and eyed his grandfather in mistrust, "What do you mean?"

"As of today, the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3 has been announced, worldwide. the world's toughest fighters will come here to Japan in the hopes of being the tournament's next champion. And Ogre will be there."

"How do you know he will? Why would he choose to attend something so trivial?"

"He's not called the God of Fighting for nothing. If he can feel the souls of the world's strongest fighters gathering in one place, he will attend, I can assure you. It's what Ogre wants. The souls of the greatest competition this world has on offer for the taking; he couldn't possibly refuse. So there, happy birthday. Hmpf!"

Heihachi turned his back on Jin and started to walk before stopping and looking around to face him again.

"Oh, I almost forgot, here."

Heihachi threw a small parcel he had been holding in his coat to Jin. It was caught and Jin looked at it in intrigue before opening it. In the parcel was a pair of red and black gauntlets with a pyramid pattern on the centre of each glove.

"If you'd like some leg guards of a similar design, give a shout." Said Heihachi walking out of the dojo and leaving Jin alone.

A tiny smile came upon the Kazama's face as he eyed the gift in modest appreciation. He slipped on the gauntlets and pulled them into place on each arm. He eyed a punching board called a Makiwara in one corner of the dojo and approached it, his smile getting bigger by the second. He slowly balled his hands into fists and took his fighting stance, the sound of the fabric in the gauntlets tightening in his grip. He started slowly, making his right and left combinations feel perfect in their form and structure and alternated the pattern of hits between fist strikes and open palm chops. With every touch of the Makiwara, his pattern increased in speed and power, the shots slowly increased in noise as he made contact. He could feel his hands pounding into the hard wood but no trace of damage back to him could be felt with each strike; the gauntlets worked like a charm. All the while in his head, he was visualising before him that the board was Ogre, begging for mercy after every strike. But Jin, refused to relent, wanting to feel the bones of the monster break from his blows and its blood to rain upon him. This was everything he wanted, his goal was about to be realised and he could wait no longer. The wood of the Makiwara began to crack and splinter from every hit as they kept becoming more powerful and ruthless. Jin yelled in dominance as the final 4 punches broke the board in four equal quarters and fell to the floor in a mess, he was breathing heavily but with excitement. The day was finally going to come, his day of vengeance. His mother would finally rest easy, wherever she was right now.

…

It was quiet at the International Interpol office of Hong Kong while the outside world was abuzz with the noise and sounds of the everyday grind. The office was dark and barren for the day, most of the staff were out and only a skeleton crew was present in the building at the time. Inside his personal office, hard at work on a police database and scanning over the disappearance of several martial arts fighter across the globe was a police detective of the force who had been working for the Interpol now for over 20 years. His searching stopped on the profile of a black male who at the time of the picture displaying him was in his early 30s. He had looked over this file on the database plenty of times in the last 19 years and everytime he couldn't help but feel that it was related to the disappearances over the last couple of years. With a sigh, the man closed the database and stretched back in his chair and starred at the ceiling fan slowly turning above him.

"Should've went out with the guys, once again. But no Wulong, you had to stay here and look-up the same dead-ends once more." The man said to himself.

The man's name is Lei Wulong, and in the last 2 decades of his police work, he had become known by his colleagues and also the criminal underworld as 'Hong Kong Super Cop'. Wulong was without a doubt the most diligent crime-fighter in the Asian continent and his reputation was known across the globe. A man of integrity and faithfulness to justice and the law, Lei was never one to slacken off in his pursuits of apprehending those that did wrong to the world. Right now however, he was at a loss of purpose in his job. After the death of his partner, Lei had started to drop his effort in seeking justice and spent most of his time cooped up in his office looking over old cases, both solved and unsolved.

Coming out of his trance from the ceiling fan, Lei sat up in his chair once more and opened up the police database; this time searching up on former members of the force. He scrolled through the endless list until he came on to the profile of his former partner. He was an American who used to be a soldier for the US army before becoming an officer for the International Interpol. He was a tough-as-nails type of guy and was a dear friend to Lei, despite his shadowy drawbacks. While it was never proven, Lei had found out that his partner once had connections with multiple international drug dealers. Before Lei could attempt to follow-up on his discovery, his partner was shot dead in a shootout in Hong Kong and in a hushed up affair, his body upon autopsy was taken out of Interpol's hands and transported to a secret location. He never even got a proper funeral. It had only been a few years since it had happened but the sting of it all still dug into Lei and affected him to this day. It all felt strange to the Super Cop but he could never put his finger on why. Any time he'd try to start an internal investigation into the events that led to his partner's body being taken away, his detective work would come up short or cut off entirely.

Lei rubbed his eyes in the dim room to shake off the feeling of sleep, he had to get out of here for a bit, get some fresh air. He turned off the database once again and stood up to leave. As he reached the door to his office, his cellphone began to ring on the table. He turned back and picked it up to answer.

"This is Detective Lei Wulong speaking." He said into the phone.

"Just the man I wanted to speak to." Came a low gruff voice from the other end, it rang familiar to the Super Cop.

"Um, may I ask who I'm talking to?"

"What, don't you recognise the voice Mr. Super Cop? Hahahahaha!"

Lei took his cellphone away from his ear and looked at the caller ID. There was no name but a number only, but Lei recognised the country code as Japan's. Then it clicked for the Super Cop as to the identity of the caller.

"Is this…Heihachi Mishima?" he asked timidly.

"Correct! Your skills as a detective never cease to amaze! Hahahahahahahahaha!"

"Enough with the jokes Mr. Mishima, if you're calling then obviously something's up, what is it?"

"Isn't it obvious detective? Haven't you check your mail recently, or have you not been checking the news lately?"

"News? No, I've been caught up in my work. And I've yet to check my mail pile out of fear of a mortgage statement."

"Well in that case, let me be the first to let you know that I've announced the 3rd King of Iron Fist Tournament."

"…yes?"

A scoff came from the other end of the line, "That's all you have to say? I thought you'd be excited?"

"With all due respect Mr. Mishima, a fighting tournament isn't something that interests me like it does for you. If you're under the idea that I'm interested in competing, I'm afraid that I'm going to let you down on that part."

"You don't have to be interested in wanting to compete detective, I'm formally inviting you to participate. You don't even have to fight through the preliminaries like with the last time you competed. You'll be heading straight to the final cut."

A look of wariness went across Lei's face at the offer, it sounded far too fortuitous to come from the infamous Head of the Mishima Zaibatsu. If Lei knew one important thing about Heihachi, it's that he never does anything good for nothing. Although, when thinking about it, he did help organise the funeral of Jun Kazama out of his own pocket for his grandson. Maybe the old man was going soft, Lei wasn't sure if that was a good thing or otherwise, perhaps it was better to press on the issue and find out the reason for this offer.

"That's very nice of you Mr. Mishima," began Lei, "I can honestly say that I never expected this amount of kindness from you from the get-go. I appreciate it, but why are you offering me this invitation? You're definitely going out of your way to getting me into your tournament for whatever reason, what's the deal?"

"You're a crowd favourite Wulong. If I'm going to restart this tournament I'll need to bring back a few, if you don't mind me saying, old faces. Also, there is a…private matter I want you to investigate during the tournament."

"What do you mean by private Mr. Mishima?"

"Something that concerns both my company AND yourself. You see, a few years ago a scientist now currently employed under the Zaibatsu reanimated the deceased body of a former US soldier and turned him into a cyborg. This cyborg has been running amok for a year now and we believe that he'll be infiltrating the tournament to carry out a task that my company wants no affiliation with. I'd like you to confront this man and stop him."

Lei thought over the request, while it of course made sense that Heihachi always wants something in return for any generosity he gave, there was still the small matter as to why the Super Cop would consider working for such a man in the first place.

"As simple as it might sound from your angle Mr. Mishima, I'm failing to see what it has to do with me that some sort of human robot is running amok."

"Ow, detective!" gasped Mr. Mishima in a sarcastic manner, "I thought you detested all manner of violence, aren't you the Super Cop everyone claims you to be?"

"You're asking me to work for YOU Mr. Mishima. I can't run a case on your behalf that isn't given the green light by the Interpol. I'd be acting out of jurisdiction and could come under a lot of hot water for doing something not by the book. Also, you're not exactly a friend to the law in case you had forgotten; your private army has been performing countless unsanctioned operations across the globe and we're aware of it. I think the last thing you want right now is a member of Interpol in your midst."

"…"

"Mr. Mishima?"

"Hmpf! I haven't even told you the best part yet!"

Lei sighed deeply but continued to listen.

"The cyborg you're to detain happened to work for the International Interpol for some time."

Lei's eyes narrowed at this, "What does that mean?"

"You're the detective, Wulong. You can figure it out on your own. We'll be expecting you in Japan shortly. Don't keep me waiting."

At that moment, the jumbled information came together for the detective, "Wa-wait-"

The call was ended and Lei was left standing there mulling over what he'd just heard. A cyborg. That was once a member of Interpol. And he was a former US soldier.

"…"

A bead of sweat ran down the side of Lei's face as a chill ran down his spine at the same time. He looked over to the computer on his desk and considered sitting back down. Still however, he stood on the spot, not sure how to proceed from here.

 _He couldn't be… He's not talking about… There's absolutely no way… It's insane. Completely insane. Nope. Nope, nope, nope, nope. He's just trying to bait you Wulong. Don't… Don't take the bait._

The hands of the Super Cop, usually still under any form of stress, were now shaking at the impossible. Was Heihachi Mishima really talking about his deceased partner, running around like some type of zombie? It was too stupid, it was ludicrous. But, it was the improbable that stuck to Heihachi like Velcro. Lei just couldn't resist the temptation a second longer. He took to his cellphone and called up the Commissioner of the International Interpol.

"Sir? It's Detective Lei. I need clearance to start a private investigation in Japan… Because, I just got a tip that a former partner of mine is about to Infiltrate the Tekken Tournament."

…

In a large Pro-Wrestling Gym in Mexico City, a luchador wrestle stands in a square ring, practicing on a soft, training dummy. The man is in his late 20s and he stands at an impressive 6'7". He wore dark blue wrestling trunks and underneath that, purple wrestling tights. He wore golden wrestling boots which are padded all the way up just over the knee and a blue wristband and armband on his left arm. The most notable thing about the luchador was his mask. He wore a very lifelike Jaguar mask which covers his head all the way down to his neckline; it looks so real you could almost mistake his head for that of a large cat. All luchadores wear a mask to hid their true identity to the world, it is a tradition for them and for this man it's no different. He personifies the mask and carries its legacy from its former owner. This luchador was known throughout Mexico as King.

He had been training for over two hours now, working on his clinch game for most of the duration but was now onto chained manoeuvres to finish up for the day. Standing in his corner and instructing him the whole time was his mentor, a luchador like King in many ways. His mentor is of a darker skin tone and from his outfit to his own mask, which like King's is a jaguar, is coloured a greyish black. He wears black tights and grey wrestling boots. Instead of a bare chest, he wears a grey piece of chest armour and shoulder pads with a large spike on each side and grey, spiked gauntlets. He gives off the moniker of an armoured version of his disciple in the ring and ironically his name, is Armour King.

"Ok amigo, you know the drill. Time to finish big with the Screwdriver combination." Armour King said to his disciple.

"Comprende." Came King's reply.

He swung his arms back and forth as he loosened up and prepared for today's final grapple. He grabbed the dummy and lifted it up off the floor and went to work on it. In a swift movement, he brought his body behind the dummy and wrapped his huge arms around the neck and applied a snapping Cobra Clutch, twisting the neck of the dummy up in force. He then lowered the dummy almost parallel to the ground and hooked its left arm under his right and brought his right leg over the dummy's right. King then pulled back and stretched the dummy's abdomen out in a Cobra Twist. Moving on without letting the dummy fall, he wrapped its head in a reverse headlock and lifted the dummy up in the air and fell back into a reverse DDT, making its head smash into the floor. Not done yet, King brought the dummy back up and positioned it in a bending over stance towards him. He quickly turned his back and locked his arms into the arms of the dummy and then twisted his body so that he was in the dummy's original stance and the dummy was semi-lying on-top of him. He lifted it up over him and brought it back down in a Reverse Special Stretch Bomb. Rolling backwards, he continued the same manoeuvre and performed a Backdrop, slamming the dummy once again into the floor of the ring. Still not done, King lifted the dummy over his shoulders into a fireman's carry and after rotating his body, slammed the dummy head-first to the ground with a Burning Hammer. Then came the finale, he took a quick glance over to his master as he prepared this final, crushing manoeuvre. He grabbed onto the dummy's head and lifted it off the floor into a Suplex position, but instead of falling back, King bent at the knees and proceeded to jump high up into the air. The jump was so great that he was at least 4 metres of the ground at this stage. Whilst in the air, King started to spin rapidly and position the dummy with its head now under his crotch. As they started to fall, King and the dummy's rotation in mid-air started to intensify, spinning faster and faster as they dropped. King finally crashing into the ring in a seated position as the dummy went head-first for the final time into the mat, executing a perfect Screwdriver.

The ground shook as King landed and dust flew up from where they were they stayed. King then rose to his feet and looked over to his mentor and was greeted by a thumbs-up. The luchador in the ring snarled and roared like the jaguar he was and revelled in the spotlight, he felt amazing.

Afterwards, King was in the locker-room of the gym with a towel draped over his shoulders after having a cool shower. He still wore his mask but was now changing his clothes, swapping his wrestling attire for a grey shirt and sweatpants. He had just put on his pants as Armour King entered the locker-room, holding a piece of paper.

"Incase I didn't say it before, great work today amigo." Said Armour King

"Gracias mentor." King replied.

"You have definitely come a long way from the first time I saw you wearing my old rival's mask, bringing disgrace to it. But today, you wear it now with distinction."

"Your words grace me mentor, I cannot thank you enough for your tutelage."

"De nada. You are now finally ready to relive the legend of King in its entirety, here."

Armour King handed the paper to his disciple to read it in earnest when he saw a familiar crest at the top. It was an invitation to the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3, being held in just over a week's time. A snarl came from King as he read the paper, a fire burned within him in passion as he looked up at his mentor and confidently stood up before him.

"I will gladly participate; the leyenda of King will live once again!" he roared.

"Bueno. But that's not the only reason for why you enter. The man who killed the first King will be at this tournament, so my sources tell me."

"Really? Dios mio… I…I don't know what to say about that."

"Listen to me, you enter this tournament to make people remember the name of King, that is your goal first and foremost. The man that took your predecessor's life is not to be taken lightly, you must bring honour back to our country should you face him. Do not fight him for revenge, you fight him for honour. Do you understand amigo?"

King nodded his head, "Si mentor, I understand."

"I know you do, here, your plane ticket. Your flight will leave first thing tomorrow."

"Gracias!" exclaimed King, excitedly taking the ticket, then he took up at his mentor with a hint of worry, "Wait, what about you mentor? You fought in the tournament like King did, aren't you invited?"

"Si, you're holding my invitation. Not anyone just gets these, but I cannot participate in this tournament amigo. You must, for I am not the fighter I once was, but you, you are ready for this. With respect, I can confidently safe that right now, you are more of the fighter that the first King was. You are more than ready for this, believe me."

Armour King placed a hand on King's shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up. King didn't respond, instead he hugged his mentor with deep appreciation for the opportunity he was giving him. King had been nothing but a street urchin up until the death of the first King, a luchador who had looked after him when he was but an orphan. When the time came, he took up the mantle as the next King and became a luchador himself. Unfortunately, he was a terrible wrestler and had lost just about every match he participated in. All that changed when Armour King approached him one day and offered to train this new King into a competent luchador. From that day forth, King worked his ass off to become the fighter he dreamed of being in his youth. He started to win his fights and in no time at all, he was pound for pound, the greatest wrestler in the Pacific. We won championship bouts up and down the Americas and even in the East as well. At the height of his career, King wondered if he would ascend further and participate in the same tournaments that the former King faced in, the Tekken tournaments. His mentor had told him to be patient and wait for such an opportunity, and that opportunity was now here.

"Mentor, I promise to bring honour to you, honour to King and honour to all of Mexico. You are truly a great teacher, and more importantly, mi amigo. I will not let you down."

"I know you won't mi amigo. Now go on, get out of this pocilga. You've got a big day ahead of you, good luck."

The two men shook hands and King quickly finished getting changed and rush out of the gym. He got in his car and raced towards his house to get ready for tomorrow's flight. All the while, Armour King slowly left the gym himself, but stopped at the entrance as a coughing fit took over him. He slumped on the wall next to him and yanked off his mask to cough more freely. As his coughing ended, he wiped off a trail of blood leaving his mouth and straightened back up.

"Mierda." He whispered as he donned his black jaguar mask once more, leaving the dojo.

…

In the plains of Arizona lives a tribe of Native Americans. They are a free-loving tribe and go about their day, protecting the environment that they call home. Their houses are set out in the manner of a reservation but are all hand-built by the tribe. Out of one of the houses comes an elderly woman; her skin is tanned and her hair knotted in a braid. She walks past the houses of the tribe and makes her way to one in particular. This particular house is where her daughter and her adopted child live, although now only the child lives at the residence. Her daughter had left the reservation a few months ago to go to Japan. Her reasons for going were vague but the women knew that she had left to ask someone a question about an amulet sacred to their tribe, an amulet that was taken from them several years prior. Whether or not this person her daughter wanted to speak to had the amulet was unknown to the old woman, but it had been months since they had received any contact from her and the woman worried more every day. She had already lost her husband many years ago in similar circumstances and didn't want a repeat of tragedy to befall her. She entered the house and called out to her granddaughter.

"Julia? Julia dear, are you here?"

"Yes Grandma! I'm just finishing off my packing." Came a reply from inside.

"Packing? What for?" the old woman, walking towards the sound of her granddaughter.

The woman entered her granddaughter's room and saw a large suitcase and a backpack all packed up, by a dresser she saw her granddaughter looking into a mirror and fixing her hair into a ponytail. She was wearing a sleeveless red top with a black, see-through shirt underneath, both cut well above the waist. She has light blue jeans on with red sneakers on her feet and on her head she fits on a brown and white headband. She turns to face her grandmother with a smile on her face and determination in her eyes, her name is Julia Chang.

"What's, what's all this?" questions her grandmother, Ms. Chang, eyes wide and brows at a point in sadness.

"I going to find mother, grandma." Julia confidently responded.

"No child, you can't leave right now, what if she comes back?"

"But she's not coming back grandma, I know something's happened to her in Japan and I'm going to find out what."

"How on Earth are you going to do that?"

"With this." Julia reached into her backpack and pulled out a paper with a crest at the top, it was an invitation.

"What's that all for?" asked Ms. Chang, straining her eyes to get a better look.

"It's an invitation to a fighting tournament in Japan. It's being held by the owner of the Mishima corporation. The same corporation that mother went to. I know that the head of the company has her and I'm going to bring her back."

"Where did you get this paper from?"

"It was delivered to mother's mail yesterday."

"Well, what makes you think that she's being held by this company if its addressed to her?"

"Because Grandma, look at the date on the paper over here."

Ms. Chang squinted at the part of the page that Julia pointing it out, the writing was too small to make out for her however.

"I'm sorry my dear, if I had my glasses…"

"Nevermind grandma, the date is from 5 months ago. This was sent out just before mother left. They had been held back for the right time and only now were delivered. Don't you see? The letter came regardless!"

"So? What does that all mean?"

"It means that I have a way of finding mother and I'm taking it. Grandma I'm leaving to go find her…now…"

Julia held her hands down in front of her with a sad expression as she looked at her grandmother becoming emotional at this news.

"Oh no dear, please don't leave. You don't have to do this!" tears started to appear in Ms. Chang's eyes.

"Grandma," said Julia, pulling Ms. Chang in a warm embrace, "I've got to do this, I can't just sit here and wait for mother any longer. This is my chance to find her and bring her home. I promise by the spirits that I will return with her. I promise grandma."

The two hugged for what seemed like forever until they slowly separated from one another. Ms. Chang held onto her granddaughter's hands and looked upon her face a little happier than before. Tears were still in her eyes but she was faintly smiling now.

"Ok dear, if you have to go, go. You're more like Michelle than you could ever imagine. Spirits guide you child, just make sure you come back okay?"

Julia smiled and hugged her grandmother once more, kissing her on the cheek.

"Thank you Grandma, I won't break my promise or come back without her, I swear it. I'll miss you."

"And I you, my dear. You leave now?"

"Yeah haha, one of the boys is gonna give me a ride to the airport at Phoenix. My plane leaves in...oh crap! Grandma it's now or never, I gotta go!"

Ms. Chang let go of her granddaughter and smiled once more, "You better hurry up then, take care dear, love you."

"Love you too grandma, bye!" yelled Julia as she swiftly snatched up her bag and pulled her suitcase along with her out the house.

She ran to a pick-up that was waiting on the main road and Julia told the driver to step on it. She looked out the back to see Ms. Chang waving and waved back at her as the reservation went out of view. Julia sat back down and breathed deeply as she sunk down into her seat. She looked at the invitation in her hands and read over the words written. It had been too long since she had seen her mother Michelle and she wasn't going to stand by and simply wait. She had learned her mother's fighting style of Xing Yi Quan, a form of Kung Fu Michelle had been taught to by her own father and Julia knew very well the hand that the Mishima Corporation had played in his death. If her mother had not come back to Arizona after this long, it could only mean that she was being held captive by the company; for what reason, Julia didn't know, but it obviously had something to do with the amulet. She folded the invitation back up and put it back into the backpack. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

"Spirits, give me strength." She whispered.

…

Inside a hospital room in Seoul, South Korea, the Blood Talon sits in dead silence and watches over the near lifeless body of his master. It had been just under a year that his teacher lay in this bed in a coma after he and his dojo were attacked and Hwoarang couldn't help but feel responsible for the man laying here. He could have been there also, he could have saved him from this damned fate which had befallen the two of them, but Hwoarang knew that replaying the scenario over and over again didn't do anything to change his fate. His master, Baek, had been a father figure to him; one he had never had in his life. He was raised for most of his youth in a foster family but one day wanted to break out and break free from the boring existence he felt he had. His foster parents weren't bad people, but he by nature was a bad kid and he didn't want to burden these people with an unruly child to raise. When the day finally came when he was ready, Hwoarang left his home and went to make a name on his own. He was only in his early teens but he had a desire to become a fighter of fame and acclaim. He began to fight in Seoul's underground fighting scene, he was already a fairly athletic build and wasn't shy about raising his fists in the first place. Despite how scrappy the fights could get, could badly he could get beaten up at times and even the conditions of living he managed with, Hwoarang carried on no matter how futile this new life of his seemed. One day, in a sanctioned street fight that Hwoarang had the pleasure of watching, he witnessed one man defeating 6 opponents all on his own. His style of fighting was quick and devastating with his kicks holding the force of a shotgun which blasted away his opposing fighters like they were nothing. Hwoarang was transfixed by the man and after the fight, immediately went to seek him out, begging to be trained. At first the man bluntly refused and left Hwoarang to ponder what he would do now, but all he wanted at that point was to be trained by this man and he wasn't going to take no for an answer. He followed the man every chance he got and eventually stumbled upon his dojo. Cornering the man inside, Hwoarang fell to his knees before him and begged to be trained like he was pleading for his life. The fighter soon came around and while begrudged that he was going to do this, accepted to train Hwoarang in the art of Taekwondo. What followed next was an intense couple of years of training for Hwoarang. His new master, Baek, put him through all the paces he could conceived in order to make Hwoarang life as difficult as possible. Baek wanted the teen to just give up and ultimately leave on his own accord but Hwoarang held on, never wanting to give up. Deep down he knew that the training he had to endure was designed to make him give up, but out of defiance and respect, he stomached the punishment and continued on. Years would pass and soon enough Hwoarang had become an extraordinary Taekwondo fighter. He never lost a fight from the day he studied under Baek and was soon enough carving up national championships, finally making a real name for himself, his primary goal. Hwoarang was brash and smutty to anyone and everyone he came across, he couldn't care less who he pissed off as he lived for their anger and hatred. Still, no matter who he got under the skin off, he always treated his master with the utmost respect and exhibited the same relationship a son had with his father.

Baek was more of a father to him than he could ever imagine, he was indebted to him for taking a chance and making him into the fighter he was today. He loved his master and would do anything to bring him back from this coma, but for now all he could do is wait. Wait for the day his eyes eventually open. In his hand he gripped an invitation addressed to his master, an invitation to the 3rd King of Iron Fist Tournament being held in Tokyo, Japan. It didn't make much sense as to why Baek was being given a personal invitation to the Tournament, he had only participated in the previous one and right now he was obviously not going to attend. The more Hwoarang came to know about his master, the more he started to admire him. He thought to a day in particular, only about 2 years ago.

" _Legs higher Hwoarang! You think the opponent is just going to lower his head for you? Higher!" yelled Baek to his student._

 _Hwoarang repeated his attack, legs stretching as high as possible with each deadly thrust. His legs were being held together by resistance bands tied securely around his knees, restricting his legs from stretching apart with each kick and on top of that, he was wearing ankle weights to increase the strain in every kick. He was sweating profusely and his legs were aching in pain, but he persevered. With every kick he grunted in frustration, higher and higher he would strike and no matter how much he wanted to stop, he was determined not to be a failure in his master's eyes._

" _Higher Hwoarang! Your form must be impeccable, never relent!"_

 _The words encouraged the Blood Talen like a knife to his throat, he screamed with each kick, never slacking off, he wanted to be the best, he was going to be the best, and nothing was going to come in the way of that. More kicks rang out from each leg, both stretching over his head and striking the air with fury. On and on he kicked, not wanting to give in until his master said otherwise._

 _Finally satisfied, Baek spoke up. "Enough!"_

 _At the word, Hwoarang's foot fell to the ground and he crouched in fatigue, breathing heavily as sweat dripped off his body and drenched his training doduk. Baek came over to his side and handed his student a water bottle, which was quickly taken and chugged by the Blood Talon. Once empty, Hwoarang slumped into a sitting position and undid the training equipment he had on._

" _Never gonna let me off easy are ya Ssem?" he said to his teacher._

" _Never! I told you specifically to only fight in official tournaments, no street fighting!" came Baek's sharp response._

" _Oh come on master, that jerk was asking for it! He deliberately barged into me just because I was talking to his girl."_

" _No street fights! You participate only in national tournaments like we agreed. I should just kick you out for this continuous insubordination!"_

" _But you already did Ssem, that's why I bought that place across from you." Hwoarang chuckled at his comment but quickly shut up when Baek slapped him across the back of his head._

" _You're forgetting the point Hwoarang! You cannot go around picking fights all the time just to prove your strength. Your skill doesn't require you to go around causing harm to others. That's how…"_

 _Baek broke off his sentence and hung his head. Hwoarang noticed and got up to see what had cut his master short._

" _Ssem?"_

 _Baek sighed and turned to his student, he didn't have his typical stone-cold expression as usual, instead his face was drooped and weary. It looked like he was ashamed of something._

" _You cannot go attacking other fighters like you do Hwoarang. I know because, well, I did. When I was younger, I…"_

 _Hwoarang looked at his teacher with concern, he was never this vulnerable around him and was always someone he could depend on because of his resilience. Emotions were never a thing shown from Baek and right now, Hwoarang was looking at his master in a different light._

"… _I was ruthless and cruel. After my father…died… I looked for any way to lash out against the world around me. I walked the same path he did and the one you walk now. I was a champion all across Korea, until I was forced into doing something I would later regret. I attacked multiple dojos across this country and others, eliminating competition for a nameless man. At first I did it because the man was blackmailing me, but before long, I started to enjoy myself in my power. It all culminated in a fight in the 2_ _nd_ _Tekken Tournament, an instructor of a dojo in American which I attacked, injuring his students, fought me to restore honour to his dojo. I was beaten by him, losing for the first time in my life. The loss was crushing to my spirit and I felt that I now longer had a place here on Earth, so I disappeared, returning back to South Korea and started doing what you saw me doing; beating nameless adversaries in the underground. But you changed me Hwoarang, you took me away from my suffering and atonement and gave me something worth nurturing and improving, yourself. You're the only good thing to ever come from me, my student. I beg you, do not waste your potential by picking pointless fights against nobodies, because eventually, you become a nobody yourself. Understand?"_

Hwoarang gripped the invitation and placed a hand on his sleeping master's, "I understand perfectly, Ssem. But I'm joining this tournament anyway. Not to defy your wishes, but to prove that I'm not some guy who picks fights with bums. I'm winning this tournament for you, I know that the thing that attacked you will be there, as well as Kazama. I'm not just going to avenge you, but I'm going to avenge myself. That draw taught me everything you wanted me to be taught. No enemy is an easy foe; I understand that now. I'll prove to the world and to you that I belong in here for a reason, I'll walk in your footsteps without anger, only resolve."

…

Above the skies of Japan, a mysterious being floats weightlessly in the clouds and waits. Something about this certain spot had caught its attention and there is a feeling that someone is about to be awoken after a long rest. In fact, it feels like two people, both related but a twinge of animosity between them that goes back years prior to their slumber. One of the individuals amuses the being and it seemed that this person will make the appropriate tool in future plans to follow. It stays and waits, not moving a muscle as the cold air of the evening sky rushes over his massive body. It waits, but very soon, won't have to wait much longer.

Directly below the being was Mount Amagi, a collection of volcanic mountains on the Izu peninsula of Japan. Underneath the rock was a top secret research facility owned by the Mishima Zaibatsu, a private laboratory owned by the company that was home to many experimentations carried out by the company in secrecy. These experiments included and were not limited to; the creation of genetically modified creatures, DNA cloning of fossilised species long extinct, the manufacturing of combat androids and also Cryogenic Sleep preservation. In a section of the facility dedicated to the Cold-Sleep, a pool of heavy liquid can be seen. The liquid is at sub-zero temperatures and holds two cylindrical tanks of transparent glass. The tanks themselves are frozen on the outside, making the inside opaque but a body can be made out in each one. The room is uncomfortably silent as the liquid flowed around and lapped at the surface. The two people in the tanks had been submerged now for nearly 20 years in an experiment aimed at testing the effects of age preservation for an extended period of time, so far the experiment itself had been a success and was kept under wraps, going to sleep itself. The experiment was one of the last things given the green light by Heihachi's son during his two years as the Head of the Zaibatsu, only days later was he dethroned by his father at the conclusion of the 2nd Tekken tournament.

As much as the being in the sky wanted to wait, more pressing matters were at hand. Ancient power started to ebb and flow out of the being's body and glide down into the mountain. It seeped through the rock and made its way to the lab, nothing able to hold it back from performing its task. It descended into the Cryogen room and oozed into the surrounding machinery. As a result, warning lights started to flash all around the room. The preservation sequence was abruptly ending and the temperature of the pool started to climb. The frozen marks around the tanks started to dissipate and the people within could start to be made out. The tanks were home to two women, both in their early 20s but date-wise would be at least 40. They laid in the tanks naked; their bodies slender, fit and curved at all the right places. The two women shared many physical similarities with each other, but that was mainly because they were sisters. Their skin was a perfect, creamy blush and their eyes were both a piercing blue. The only real difference was their hair, while one was a crimson brown which was cut short in the style of a bob-cut, the other had blonde hair which flowed longer than her sister's. With the liquid now at a reasonable temperature, the tanks started to ascend out of the pool in an angle with the women's heads held higher. As the tanks climbed higher out of the pool, the liquid inside the tanks were drained away and both started to slide open, exposing the sisters' bodies to the cool air above.

The first of the two to stir was the younger sister with the bob-cut. Her eyes slowly opened with a bit of confusion for the situation. As she sat up, she looked around into the empty room surrounding her. Slowly the pieces started to fall into place and she remembered where she was. She looked down at her naked body and silently chuckled at herself in the nude. A lot of people would kill to have a look at her like this, but she was quite satisfied with the privacy she was receiving. Still, the whole situation felt out of place to her. While her memories were currently a little hazy, she could have sworn she remembered hearing that she and her sister would be kept under constant surveillance. And here they were, all alone and awake, well at least she was for that matter. She turned to look at her sister laying in the other open tank next to her. She was moving slightly but hadn't opened her eyes for whatever reason, not that it mattered, the younger sister couldn't care less about how her older sibling was feeling right now.

The two sisters had a long stand rivalry which stretched into their teen years and it culminated in fierce battles at the first two Tekken tournaments in which the two faced off on separate occasions, even outside of the tournaments at times. Both women were expert assassins, trained in Koppojutsu by their father and Aikido by their mother. They employed their skills in a variety of ways and at the time of the second tournament, the older sibling was attempting to assassinate the head of the Zaibatsu, Kazuya Mishima, and the younger sister became employed as his bodyguard as a result. They faced off at the second tournament and the younger sibling emerged victorious, having her sister taken away. At this point, her older sister was going to be made a Cryogenic test subject and left in Cold-Sleep for 20 years. The younger sister volunteered to take part in the experiment alongside her sister also; she didn't want this rivalry to end at this point and also, the younger sibling couldn't handle the fact that she would become the older sister. And now here they were, awake after they long slumber.

"Hey bitch, wake up!" the younger sister called out.

The blonde women's eyes strained at the loud voice and started to open, her pupils are dilated and the lights of the room hurt to look at. She looked over to the source of the voice and saw a naked women looking at her with a smug grin. She didn't recognise the person next her in the slightest, in fact, she couldn't even remember her own name. She looked around the room in confusion and then at her body, she also was naked like the women next to her. What was going on here?

"Look at you, still dopey as any dumb blonde." The brunette continued.

The blonde looked back at the woman with a look of bafflement, "Who are you? Where am I?"

The brunette scoffed, "What? Don't play dumb with me sis, you know exactly who I am."

"I don't! I've never seen you in my life!"

"Oh ha ha, very funny. I didn't think you were actually gonna take that dumb blonde joke for real."

The brunette stood up and without discomfiture, got out of the tanks and out of the pool. The watery substance of the pool dripped of her body as she got out, making her figure shine under the lights of the room. She walked over to a cabinet and opened it, pulling out a white lab coat and started to put it on. She turned turn to face her sister again who was still in the tank. The brunette scoffs again and stood in a slanted posture and puts her hands of her hips in disbelief. The blonde looked up at the brunette; the coat she was wearing wasn't tied together at the waist and left her vagina exposed. Obviously this person isn't insecure about her femininity.

"Are you just gonna stay in there with that look on your face or are you gonna get out and cover up?"

The blonde snapped to attention and starts to leave the tank herself. As she got out she waded through the heavy liquid of the pool and reaches the edge. She pulled herself out of the waters and starts to brush the liquid off of her body. She then noticed the brunette standing near her, holding another lab coat.

"Think fast, bitch." She says as she pegs the coat at her sister's head.

The blonde's reactions are pretty quick as she catches the coat, but she doesn't expect a kick to come her way which sends her backward onto the floor. The brunette stood over her and laughed, like it's the greatest joke ever. The blonde isn't amused.

"What the hell was that for!?" she yells from the ground.

"I felt like it, bimbo. You better recognise who's still in charge around here understand?"

"What's your problem? I've never done anything to you?"

"Oh my god, stop playing dumb already, it's getting on my nerves sis!"

"What? Why are you calling me sis for?"

"Because you ARE my s-"

The brunette stopped her sentence short and looked down at her sister again. A thought had crossed her mind that made her shiver for all the wrong reasons. Before being put into the tank herself after her sister was submerged in the pool. The scientist is charge told the brunette that there was a slight chance of either of them coming out of Cryogenic sleep with amnesia. Had it actually happened to her sister? She couldn't stomach the chance of it; it meant that right now, the rivalry the two of them had was almost non-existent. It just didn't feel right.

"You really don't remember anything?" she asked her sister in a different tone, one with more concern.

The blonde shook her head, causing the brunette and kneel down beside her.

"Ok then, well let me refresh your memory then. Your name is Nina, Nina Williams, and I am your sister Anna. You and I were born in Ireland. Are you starting to get anything?"

The blonde named Nina shook her head again, "No, I'm not remembering anything about that."

"Oh come on!" yelled Anna, getting more worried, "You have to remember something, think you idiot!"

"I…I don't. I-I… um… I…"

"Think dammit, do you remember what you did? What you and I do better than anyone else out there?"

"No, I… wait."

At that moment, Nina suddenly grew silent. Her mouth remained partially open and she stared off out of focus. Anne waved a hand over her eyes but got no response from her sister. Her felt like panicking, the rivalry she and Nina had was a huge motivation for the two of them. It made them two of the greatest assassins on Earth. Rarely would anyone be able to meet their talents in subterfuge and espionage, but it was the rivalry that made it so. Always wanting to get the better of the other made the two of them practically the deadliest people on the planet. With this rivalry gone, how would the two of them function? Anna wasn't going to let that go away, she had to get her sister to remember, but right now, it looked like her mind was in a different place entirely.

"Hey, Nina. Nina! Snap out of it! Hey!" she called out to her sister, shaking her shoulders repeatedly.

The shaking didn't work as Nina keep that same, spaced out expression on her face. For her, her mind had plunged into darkness. All that could be made out were lines of dark green and gold, slithering along the black satin surface. Suddenly, whispers could be made out, they started off soft and then grew in volume. The voices were too numerous to count and they filled every capacity of Nina's head when finally, a booming voice silenced the whispers and beat out a single command. A command that would become everything to the blonde woman, nothing else would come as a close second. It was all and everything to her now, and she repeated in out loud.

"I must kill Jin Kazama."

"Wh-what?"

Nina's eyes came back into focus and she looked at Anna in a different persona.

"I must kill Jin, get off me."

"Kill who? Wait w-HEEEEEYYY!"

Nina kicked the brunette woman aside, making her fall back into the pool of liquid with a splash. The blonde quickly rose to her feet and pulled on the lab coat still in her hands and left the room in a rush. She wasn't acting out of any emotion, her mind was blank, apart from the 5 words that repeated from the numerous whispers: I must kill Jin Kazama. She was going to perform this task to the letter and to her, nothing was going to stand in her way. Anna got out of the liquid again in a fluster, wet from the pool once again. She looked around the room with her sister nowhere in sight.

"WHAT THE FUCK W+JUST HAPPENED!" she cried to herself.

Still floating above the clouds was Ogre, his task here was done. This way, one obstacle could be removed out of the picture shortly and his ultimate goal would be realised. Ever since he had been placed on this planet by his brethren, he had been waiting for the right moment, the right vessel. And now that time was nigh. Soon the seed that was planted would be ready, and with it, he would carry out his final task. The world would never be the same afterwards.

* * *

(Whew, now this was a doozy of a chapter to finish I can tell you that. I had originally planned to add Himitsu into this chapter but with the scope of this one, I've decided to keep that for the next one. And boy, it'll be good, I swear. By the way, I'm sure some of you have noticed that my retelling of the origin of certain Tekken fighters may differ from the canon. The reason for that is simple; my goal is to make their stories better, and that is what I've done with Hwoarang. Now yes, at the time of tekken 3. Baek was considered dead from Ogre and at the time of the release of Tekken 3, that was how it was going to remain. But then Harada decided to bring Baek back, and everyone was like "Yeah, ok then, sweet." Well I have a problem with this, how the FUCK could Hwoarang not know that his teacher was in a coma all this time? There is NO WAY, that's the answer. So, I'm making Hwoarang's backstory better. I'm sure you'll all appreciate it better this way and I'll be doing it with other characters as well in most cases where their backstories are lacking and are otherwise dumb and brushed over. Enjoy!)


	23. The Lionheart

Chapter 23 – The Lionheart

It had only been a matter of months since he arrived, but Himitsu had spent every waking minute of his time at the Isshin-ryu dojo working harder than ever before in his life. If he wasn't eating or sleeping, the Lionheart was training instead. Most of his days were spent holding onto concrete hand weights called Ishi Sashis, wearing Testsu Getas which were iron sandals and carrying around a large steel ring called a Kongoken to improve Himitsu's upper body, lower body and core strength; respectively. He would bring these training tools with him almost everywhere he went; on runs through the forest, climbs up rock faces and even when performing exercise in the dojo. The Lionheart gave everything he possibly could to his training and no matter how undeniably tough his regime was, Himitsu never saw an alternative to what he was doing. How he felt before, during and after all this didn't matter, he'd even lost count of how many times he'd been left dry-reaching on the floor. If he only had a few months of preparation according to Heihachi, he was going to use every second of it to his advantage. His skin hardened, his muscles grew and his hands and feet bled from the punishment. He quickly bulked up in muscle mass over the months and was no longer the skinny man that woke up from a 3 year coma. He was now the perfect specimen of a human weapon and the way he looked now showed it.

At this point in time, Himitsu stood in front of a swinging Tou, which was a large wooden pole with different segments of the pole able to freely turn on their own. The segments each had a branch sticking out of them for striking and blocking where appropriate. On the Himitsu's hands were huge iron bracelets called a Tetsuwa which each weighed over 50 pounds, making his arms shake at the pressure. Behind the Tou were two students of the dojo who held the branches in position and to Himitsu's immediate left was his instructor, Misake Shimabuku, the grandson of the creator of Isshin-ryu, Tatsuo Shimabuku. Himitsu was about to perform a Seiunchin kata on the Tou with the hopes of finally nailing its perfect form. The Seiunchin was a powerful kata that took place in a lowered stance called Shiko-dachi with Himitsu's legs spread apart and knees bent at obtuse angles. It consisted entirely of hand striking combinations and with the strength that Himitsu now mustered, was a punishing manoeuvre to perform on any opponent. The Lionheart had his eyes closed as he controlled his breathing in his stance, ready for the branches of the Tou to be moved by his fellow students. Misake sensed that his student was prepared and signalled for the exercise to begin.

Each branch of the Tou were moved at a different time than the others. As they came around, Himitsu's eyes snapped open and he struck out with vertical fists at the oncoming arms of the Tou. On contact they shot back in the other direction and came around once again, only to be hit once more. No sooner had the branches been swung, the speed of the Himitsu's technique went into overdrive; the segments of the Tou swung back and forth from the punches at a huge speed and Himitsu's hands moved in a blur, despite the heavy bracelets he wore. The sound of bare fists connecting with the hard wood was loud and resounding throughout the dojo as the students looked at the display in awe. The instructor Misake looked onwards in admiration of the man before him. Never had a student of his been able to accomplish so much in such little time. In the matter of a few months, Himitsu had mastered the Isshin-ryu fighting style like he had known it all along. His vertical fists and open-hand chops were powerful and devastating and his snapping kicks were quick and deadly. In no time he had moved up the rankings of the other students at the dojo and claimed every Kyu belt and was now in the contention of receiving his first black belt and becoming a Dan. He remembered like it was only yesterday that Himitsu appeared on his steps and requested to learn his style of karate. He would have been turned away if the young man hadn't dropped the name of a well-known Buddhist monk that Misake knew personally. The two men went back a long way, the instructor knowing Sensei Nikibo ever since he was a boy. If the Sensei had sent someone to be trained in the "one-heart way", then Misake knew that this person would be no joke, and Himitsu didn't disappoint.

On and on the punches rang out at blinding speed, going up and down at different levels to hit the branches on their different segments. The amount of concentration that Himitsu was putting on was paramount to his ability to mentally keep up with every branch as they came his way. This was what he wanted from the beginning and he believed now that he was ready, ready to face he evil that had plagued him. With a final, great thrust; Himitsu struck the middle of the Tou and knocked it away with a mighty left palm. The wooden pole soared into the air and collided with the wall of the dojo and dropped to the ground in a heap. Himitsu held his final position, with his legs still stretched out and bent and his left palm still held out. He breathed deeply as he kept still, waiting for acknowledgement from his teacher and peers.

"Absolutely perfect." Said Misake, taking steps towards his pupil and holding out a black belt, "You're definitely earned this belt."

Himitsu straightened up and bowed at Misake, accepting the belt, "Thankyou Hachidan."

"Feel proud of yourself today, no student of mine has ever achieved the rank of Shodan in only a few months. You are incredibly gifted; it has been an honour to teach you in the ways of my grandfather."

Himitsu bowed once more, "I only did so well under a great teacher such as yourself Hachidan."

"Please," said Misake, placing a hand on Himitsu's shoulder, "Don't let yourself off too easily, you deserve this. Come, I wish to speak with you outside."

The two men walked outside the large dojo and down the steps of the main building into the front garden.

"Sensei Nikibo got into contact with me yesterday." Began Misake, "He wished for you to see him, today. He said that it's of an important matter and that you would understand."

Himitsu looked away into the garden and then met eyes with his teacher again, "Of course, I guess it's that time now. In that case Hachidan; I might not return for a while, for how long exactly, I'm not sure."

"Don't worry my pupil, you have learned all you need to know here without becoming a teacher yourself. Whatever perils you may face, know that you are more than ready to face them."

Misake bowed to Himitsu who did the same in return. The Lionheart then left to gather his things and in a matter of an hour, said his goodbyes and left the dojo of Mount Yonaha for the town of Kin. While he saw himself as ready, if Misake said that Himitsu was ready, then he even more firmly believes it. It had only really been about 6 months since he first arrived in Okinawa to seek out Sensei Nikibo, and in that time, had mastered the Isshin-ryu fighting style with flying colours. Current students of the dojo were simply amazed by the strength and determination of the Lionheart, after so many days that his peers thought that he would simply lay in bed and rest his tired body, they were left dumbfounded to see Himitsu back in the dojo and continuing his training. There were days when the Lionheart could barely breath from yesterday's session and Misake had urged him to not train, but for Himitsu, that wasn't an option. This wasn't about him anymore, so many things mattered to him at that time that the idea of pain wasn't even a worry for him anymore. Pain had become his friend in these dark times and while for many could leave them bed-ridden for what he stomached, Himitsu took it like an injection of adrenaline and carried on. Jin had to be saved, their mother had to be rescued and Ogre had to be stopped.

Himitsu hitched a ride to the nearest town out of Mount Yonaha and then got a taxi to give him a lift to Kin. The ride was long and foreboding for Himitsu as he sat in the back passenger seat and stared out the window. He had some sort of idea of why Nikibo had called for him; it seemed rather coincidental that at the time he had mastered his form of karate, the Sensei would summon him. Still, when it came to the Sensei, such coincidences were a common formality. Himitsu then looked back inside the taxi and caught a glimpse of his face in the rear-view mirror; he had cut his hair a little shorter since he went to the dojo and most of it was tied up in a spiked ponytail out the back and the rest of his hair was spiked and stiff in several directions. He still had the same white strands of hair hanging over the right side of his face, concealing his gruesome scar but thankfully the haunting injury from that terrible night didn't faze him like it used to. His face was fuller and its usual light olive colour had taken over his once pale complexion. He wore a plain olive green t-shirt that hugged his newly muscular chest tightly and around his neck was an ornate scarf that doubled as a cowl, it's fabric was thin and a dragon was patterned into its red and cream coloured design. While he felt a little weird wearing the scarf, he found that it was a good way to draw attention away from his face, for other people's consideration. He also wore the same blue jeans with the chain accessories he had bought in Kagoshima, they also felt a little tighter due to his gains. In a travel bag next to him was his training clothes as well as his iron bracelets which he had taken a liking to. And not to mention the yen he still held onto, while a little lighter than before, he still had enough to get around but he had a feeling he'd be having to stop off at his 'stash' soon enough to refill.

After a short while, the taxi pulled up outside the Kinkannon-ji temple in Kin. Himitsu paid the driver and got out of the taxi with a stretch. He swung his bag over his back and walked through the entrance and down the path of trees hanging overhead. The wind was blowing faintly and once again the wind chimes hanging from the branches reached the Lionheart's ears and resonated within him. He entered the temple and saw Sensei Nikibo and Obo kneeling before the small kami shrine inside the Butsuden. Both men seemed to be meditating but without even turning his head, the Sensei addressed their visitor.

"Welcome back young one, I hope your training was beneficial."

Obo seemed alarmed and looked to the Sensei and then towards the door, seeing Himitsu standing there with a smirk on his face from the comment.

"Namaste Himitsu." Said Obo, getting up to greet him, "My, you look amazing!"

Himitsu chuckled at the compliment, "Thanks Obo, just doing what needed to be done."

"And you have done extremely well, according to Misake." Said Nikibo, standing up also, "He told me he's never had such an amazing student to teach, you're apparently on your way to becoming a Dan from what I heard."

"I actually just got it today." Replied Himitsu, scratching his head coyly, his cheeks slightly red.

"I never doubted you for a second young one, a little wisdom is the stumbling-block on the way to Buddhahood. You have done well, come."

Himitsu followed the Sensei out of the temple and into the small house next door. Inside, Himitsu was lead to the Sensei's sleeping quarters which contained a cabinet for clothes, a single-size bed, another kami shrine in one corner and in another corner was a small TV on a stand. Nikibo gestured Himitsu to sit on a carpet on the floor and sat down in front of him. The two looked at each other before the Sensei spoke first.

"Are you been keeping up with your meditation?"

"Of course Sensei, although I had dedicated so much time to my training that I could only sacrifice about a day or two a week for me to properly meditate."

"No matter, overturned water doesn't return to the tray. How have your visions been?"

"Almost always the same, everything is black apart from a few lines which slither around here and there. And then there's that thing in the centre of it all. I can't recall my memories anymore Sensei, I don't understand why."

"Many monks of Buddha experience different aspects in their search for enlightenment. Those aspects can change overtime for many reasons. Do not feel burdened like a monk for just three days, these apparitions will become clearer to you one day eventually."

"Sensei," Himitsu's tone became more serious, "Have you summoned me here just to talk about my inner-thoughts?"

Nikibo tilted his head in respect, "Even a common man by obtaining knowledge become a Buddha. I merely wanted to open on a lighter matter, but I can see you want me to…how do you say, cut through the cheese?"

"I think you mean 'cut to the chase'. You should stick to your own sayings Sensei."

Nikibo chuckled at his mistake, a warm smile went across his face, "Hahahahaa, very well. I want you to look at this."

Nikibo reached for a remote and turned on the small TV. An image of the news appeared on the screen, with the reporter talking about a news story of an Heir to a Multi-million-dollar corporation going missing from Brazil.

"What does this have to do with anything Sensei?" Himitsu asked.

"Patience young one, the real story is about to commence."

The news story ended and the news anchor appeared on the TV.

"It has nearly been a week into the announcement of the 3rd King of Iron Fist tournament and Japan is still in pandemonium over the news. The world renounced tournament, hosted by the Mishima Zaibatsu, has already drawn in some of the world's best fighters for the upcoming preliminaries starting next week. The tournament was first introduced over 20 years ago by the decorated company originating from the city of Mishima. It was hosted by the company's illustrious CEO, Heihachi Mishima and its follow-up was hosted by his son, Kazuya Mishima. Both tournaments drew in millions of viewers from across the globe with nothing before having generated such an international following. Of course, with today's growing technology, the tournament is expected to garner over a billion viewers in the course of its duration. With more on this hypothesis is reporter, Yin Tyler-chan. Tyler?"

The screen transitioned to a male reporter standing outside a stadium, "Thanks Jeong, I am currently standing outside a newly erected stadium where the King of Iron Fist Tournament will be situated at. Reports from staff members of the Mishima Zaibatsu able to comment on the stadium say that this is a new technological advancement for the company and its respective tournaments. Apparently gone are the days of renting out scenic areas for official tournament matches Jeong."

"What does this all mean?" asked the news anchor.

"It means that all tournament matches will take place in this stadium. But the most interesting information coming out of the Zaibatsu has been an official statement saying that NO fight will be the same. When asked to elaborate, the response was that the information relates to the fighting stadium itself. No further comments were made afterwards."

"Very well Tyler, thanks for the info. Now on to another story."

The Sensei switched off the TV and faced Himitsu again, but it was the Lionheart who spoke up first.

"Did they announce this 5 days ago?"

"Yes…" replied Nikibo, perplexed, "How did you know?"

Himitsu sighed faintly, "It was Jin's 19th birthday on that day. I guess it's really that time now isn't it?"

Nikibo slowly nodded his head, his face growing solemn, "Himitsu, you have grown and gone through a lot in your short time on this world and I can make a bet that you've seen and experienced things that I could never imagine happening onto me. Right about now I would give you a sound word of advice for what you're about to do, but I feel it's much more beneficial that I stick to the truth of these things. Since you've been training, I've been looking into the evil that is starting to descend upon the Earth at this time and I have come to a conclusion on how this all will play out in the coming month or so. It's not easy to say and it pains me to do so. But young one, at this tournament, between you and your brother, one of you is going to die. And even worse, neither of you might have a say in the matter. I'm terribly sorry, but your goals and expectations will most likely not come to pass as you intend."

Himitsu was silent, his head looked to the ground between him and the Sensei in a state of melancholy. This definitely wasn't want he wanted to hear as the realisation that he or his brother will die at this tournament stung him to the core. For the first time in months, feelings of futility and destitution came over him and started to overshadow the feelings of hope still within.

"And if I don't take part?" he sullenly asked."

"Then it will happen as I told you before. Darkness will consume the darkness and a spirit of malevolence will awaken. Your brother will be lost, forever."

Himitsu took a deep breath and slowly took to his feet, the Sensei looked up at the Lionheart as he stood up straight with volition and confidence. His hands balled into fist and his facial expression was adamant on what his task ahead was.

"Well then, it's a good time to go out swinging is I see it. I'm heading to Tokyo Sensei."

Nikibo stood up at that, and eyed the Lionheart in admiration of his selflessness, "It looks like you finally understand the ways of the Buddha. The task of a Priest is to save all mankind, and you are personifying this to the letter."

"I've come this far Sensei, it wouldn't make a lot of sense to back out now."

"Indeed, for even Buddha himself started as a common man. What you do from this day forth will echo in Paradise. Never forget yourself; while your past defines your upbringing, your future life is the all-important thing. No matter what happens Himitsu, know that the boy who came to my temple as a street-brat has grown into a great man before me."

At those words, Himitsu reached out and brought Nikibo in for a hug, the Sensei at first was taken back for the show of affection but soon responded with a friendly pat on the back. Himitsu let go and wiped a tear from his eye.

"I'm sorry if I caught you off guard there Sensei." He said with a dry-laugh.

"It's no problem young one." Nikibo responded, "But you'd better be off; from what I heard on the news, the tournament closes off entry in two days."

"Then I better be off then. Sensei, thank you for everything. I don't know where I'd be today if it were not for you."

Himitsu bowed to Nikibo who returned the gesture all the same. Not wasting any more time, the Lionheart picked up his bag and left the temple once again, giving a wave to Obo on the way out. He left immediately for Okinawa city with the intention of catching a ship to the mainland. While the journey would probably be longer than simply heading much further down the island to Naha and catching a plane, he wanted to stop off at Kagoshima with the time he had to spare and revisit his stash. He felt that for the time being, he needed a little more cash should the necessity present itself. As he rode in another taxi on the way down South of the Island, Himitsu viewed the gold and diamond necklace still wrapped around his left wrist like a bracelet. If anything was a symbol to Himitsu of the journey he's currently been on, it's been this necklace. While it looked scratched and worn from always wearing it, even during his training, he wore it with prestige. It had been a symbol of hope for him in his darkest times but now it also symbolised a choice he may have to make. That choice was whether Jin would die or whether he would never be able to give this necklace back to the one he gifted it to, the one who deserved it after all she had done for him.

…

In a floor below ground of the Mishima Financial Building in Tokyo was a plain white corridor lined with steel doors. The elevator on the floor opened up and Heihachi Mishima stepped out in a business suit, flanked up his advisor Harada. The two men proceeded down the hallway, on the way to one of the rooms on the floor which held someone of apparent interest to Mr. Mishima. The individual had been held here for a few months already and so far, nothing further could be obtained from the detainee. Heihachi hoped that today this would change.

"How many have entered so far Harada?" he snapped at his advisor, following at a short distance for safety.

"Do you…are you referring to the tournament Mishima-sama?"

"Of course I am! What else did you think?!"

"Nothing sir, forgive me." Harada quickly said, "We're looking at up to 100, of course only the most capable are being put through to the prelims so by now the number should cut-off up tomorrow."

"Very good, I'm sure there'll be plenty of fresh-meat for this one. Hmm, how many from the previous tournaments have shown up?"

"Uhhh, practically no one Mishima-sama. Apart from the Detective and the Clan leader there's only been a mister Pheonix who's come. But there have also been a couple entrants who have brought in the invitations, acting in the stead of the original recipient."

"Like the girl?"

"Yes. One came from Mexico bringing the invitation of the luchador wrestler known as Armour King and this man is a luchador himself, acting under the guise of another former entrant who died a few years ago. There's also the son of Marshall Law who came with his father's invitation, he has practiced in the same arts as his father and seems quite capable. Then there's the student of the fighter known as Baek, I'm certain you know of what happened to him Mishima-sama."

"Hmm, yes, yes. Well, it seems that in the years of the tournament's absence we'll be having a lot of fresh faces on offer."

"Umm, sir. If you don't mind me asking. Why are YOU not participating? It is your tournament after all."

Heihachi stopped and faced his advisor who froze on the spot, "Hmpf! I'll admit, the fire of the fight burns within me like never before. But I have more important matters to see to that will prohibit me from competing. Still, I've got the boy to do all that for me anyways so my presence will still be felt during the tournament, but for now, the tournament doesn't need me."

Harada quickly bowed to the CEO, "Of course Mishima-sama."

The two continued onwards and stopped outside a steel door with two Tekken Force soldiers standing guard outside. The soldiers saluted Mr. Mishima as his advisor opened the door, allowing him to enter. Heihachi walked into the interrogation room and sat at the empty chair. On the other side of the bolted down table in front of him was a woman in her late 30s, sitting in the other chair that was there with her head in her hands, which were cuffed for good measure. The woman had a white shirt on and over it a brown, short-sleeved coat that when standing would trail just below the woman's knees. She also wore jean shorts and cowboy boots. On top of her head saw a small Native American headdress with a feather. As always, Mr. Mishima sat and waited for him to be acknowledged first and soon enough the woman lifted her head up to see her visitor. Upon looking at Mr. Mishima, the woman facial expression turned to one of anger and disgust. She knew very well who Heihachi was and what this cruel man was capable of doing; her being felt prisoner here being a perfect example.

"What do you want now! I already told you that I'm not telling you anymore than what you've already heard!"

"Now, now, now. I think we got off on the wrong foot Michelle, don't you agree? You came here seeking information from me, and I…well… I wanted more."

"Well pardon me for saying, but you can go fuck yourself! I'm not telling you anything, and that's final!"

"Oh really? Well, that's gonna make this next bit all the more sweeter."

Heihachi then took a photograph out of his business jacket and held it in front of the woman's face. Her eyes went wide as she recognised the person in the photo. Seeing the desired reaction, Heihachi placed the photo on the table between them and continued.

"You see; your adopted daughter has come here to Japan to compete in my tournament. She's been allowed entry because she came here with your invitation, that I sent to your home out of the goodness of my heart. Now, I'm sure that we can both agree that she came here to find you, I'd imagine that she's a smart girl, like you…were. So here's the deal Miss. Chang, you're going to tell me everything you know about the amulet and the creature it belongs to. If you don't, either two things will happen. Either your daughter is killed and brought back home to your dear mother, or if I'm feeling extra charitable, I'll have both you and your daughter killed and sent back to your dear mother. So what do you say?"

The woman named Michelle stared at the photo on the table in fear. Her daughter had put herself in grave peril by coming here to find her. Her knees buckled at the thought of what could happen as she looked back up to face the ever calm and calculating face of the Head of the Mishima Zaibatsu. It was wise to never doubt a threat coming out of his mouth, Michelle had to concede.

"Fine, ask away." She whispered in defeat.

Heihachi leaned back in his chair and folded his arms with a smug grin on his face. Once again he had triumphed, it didn't matter the context of the victory, he had it. Life was certainly a constant battle for Heihachi, a competition to beat, and if he could find an opportunity to pull through in his own personal victory, he would take it. Heihachi chuckled to himself and then leaned back in, ready to deliver his questions.

…

It was about 6 in the evening when the boat pulled into the harbour of Kagoshima city. Himitsu admired the skyline of the city, glowing from the Sun setting in the west. He was finally back on the main land and more importantly back in the all too familiar city he survived in. The boat secured itself in the docks and Himitsu bounded off. A warm sense of nostalgia filled the Lionheart as he walked through the streets of the grimy city; the smell of recent rain, the sight of the shady alley-ways, the feeling of the unlevelled sidewalk. The most important thing of all in this city soon came into view as Himitsu approached the old building complex which housed his treasure. He entered the building and descending into its below-ground levels and approached his favourite blanket hanging on the cobweb filled walls. With the blanket taken away and the rock slabs pushed aside, rather easily this time around, Himitsu looked in his little alcove and eyes his riches. He went to work, pulling out any small trinkets and gems that could earn him a fair amount of yen. As his hands reached in further, they grabbed onto the suitcase, the suitcase that Himitsu never put inside. Himitsu reluctantly took it out and looked at the contents within, it still held several million yen inside, about 20 million if he had to guess. When he had previously pulled it out, he had never really thought about who it might belong to, but upon seeing the crest on the suitcase that he now had a general idea of what it stood for, he finally realised who could have possibly left it here.

 _Brother… I'll save this for a special…wait am I talking about, I might never be able to spend this! Well, depending on how it all goes, I guess to the winner go the spoils._

Himitsu closed up the suitcase again, put it back in its original spot and finished taking all the contents he wished to bring along. He had also taken the liberty of wrapping up any fragile items with his training Gi so they wouldn't get damaged. Once done, he put the slabs back in position, draped the blanket over the hole once more and took his leave. He went outside and decided to make his way north, maybe he'd find a pawn shop still open and be able to part with a few of the items which now resided in heavy bag over his shoulder. As he walked through the streets now lit by street lamps, he caught sight of an antique store. What had caught his attention was something in the window of the store, a six-string guitar. A smile went across the Lionheart's face as he entered the store and hailed the shopkeeper.

"Evening, how much for that guitar?"

"What? Guitar?" said the shopkeeper, confused.

"That one in the window over there." Replied Himitsu pointing to the desired instrument.

"Oh you want that? I've had that here for a while. I'd give it to ya for about 8000 yen."

"8000? Hmmm… I could pay that, but would you also accept trades?"

"Definitely, what do you have on offer?"

With a smirk, Himitsu opened his bag. After about 2 minutes' time, Himitsu was back outside with the guitar in hand. He continued on his way and started to tune the strings and then strummed a few cords. His right hand nails weren't at the desired length he used to have about 4 years ago; luckily his fingers had become extremely tough and could still finger-pick without much hassle. While clearly out of practice, he continued to play as he walked onwards, until a muffled scream came from an alleyway nearby. Instantly, Himitsu put the guitar over his back and moved towards the noise.

In an alley were three men, one of them as in a straddled position on the floor while the other two seemed to be holding someone down. Beneath them was a woman, struggling to break free; her mouth being held shut by the man on top of her as he used his free hand to fumble between her legs. At the sight, flashes of Himitsu's past reminded him of being in such a terrible position, he wasn't going to have it, not for a second. With a cutthroat expression on his face, Himitsu dropped the guitar and his bag in a dark corner and walked silently towards the three men; his hands tightening into fists at an extremely tight grip.

"Shut up bitch! And this'll be over quick!" sneered one of the men holding the woman down.

"I don't know about that," said the other man on the other side, "We both still need to take our turns as well."

"Hey…that's plenty…to go around… STOP SQUIRMING! You're making this difficult." Said the man on top of the woman.

"Mind if I interrupt?" said Himitsu from behind the three men.

The trio turned around abruptly as a fist came in for one of the men, smashing him aside. A quick kick to the mid-section of the other man standing up buckled him to the side and Himitsu followed up with another powerful punch which knocked the guy into the wall behind him. As the third man on top came up to throw a punch, Himitsu had quickly parried the hit and took the guy off his feet with a Jab, Uppercut combo and finished with a Spinning Heel Kick which propelled the man backwards, spinning in the air as he went and slamming hard on the ground. The first man to get hit got up and charged at Himitsu but was caught and flipped onto his back. Himitsu followed through and brought down a devastating open-hand chop he liked to call the Kirachoppu down onto the chest of the fallen adversary. The hit connected so well that Himitsu could feel some of the man's ribs break from the force, leaving the guy to desperately grasp for air. Himitsu turned to the woman, still on the floor in distress and held out his hand to her.

"Are you alright?" he said sincerely.

The woman's eyes darted away from the Lionheart and a gasp came from her in fear. As Himitsu turned to see the problem, a plank of wood was rapped across his head, breaking upon impact. The man who was the second to get hit by Himitsu had been the one the hit him with the board. However, the look of payback on the man's face was quickly replaced with terror as the Lionheart simply look back at him with no signs of injury from getting hit, just a deeply serious face that said to the man, 'you shouldn't have done that'. A ruthless straight vertical fist came from Himitsu which knocked the guy back into the wall once again but this time the Lionheart followed. He then proceeded to perform a shattering manoeuvre called the Crippler which consisted of a quick dash towards his opponent and then Himitsu bringing his left foot around in a low sweeping kick. The kick was so powerful that the man's right shin split from the impact instantly and lifted him off the ground in a sideways position. The finisher to the combo was a right, downward chop that collected the man in mid-air and slammed him into the ground so hard that not only did the floor crack from the impact, but the body of the guy bounced off the floor like a fish out of water.

Himitsu looked back to the women once more and helped her up. Her clothes were ripped in some areas above the waist, exposing her bra. Seeing the slight dilemma, Himitsu helped her over to the corner where his bag was stored and pulled out his windbreaker, giving it to the woman. Hearing movement, Himitsu's eyes darted back towards the alley and saw that the man he had planted at a heel kick was starting to stand.

"Don't hang around," he said the woman, "Get outta here."

Not needing to be told twice, the woman fled the scene leaving Himitsu on his own. He stomped over to the guy and lifted him off the floor with one hand and banging him against a wall.

"Why did you do this!? You sick fuck!" he yelled at the man's face.

"You're…you're the one who's fucked..." replied the man with blood in his mouth, "No one fucks with the 20 Busters…nobody…"

"…20 Buster?"

Himitsu looked away from the man at the realisation of who these three men belonged to. More flashes of memories went over his mind as the name brought up more troubling parts of his past. The 20 Buster gang seemed to still have a huge presence in Kagoshima, even today. The fact that they were still around after all this time, made Himitsu feel morose. He slowly turned his head to face the gangster in his grip. At this point in time, the tournament had vanished form Himitsu's train-of-thought. Instead, a score had to be settled.

"I'm fucked am I?" he questioned the gangster, his grip tightening, "We'll see about that."

A wicked punch came in and flattened the gangster's face, knocking him unconscious. Himitsu released his grip and let the man drop to the ground with a thud. He then went to pick up his bag and the guitar and quickly left the alleyway and changed his direction. He was now walking along the ocean line of the city, on the way to the 20 Buster hangout. He was adamant that the damned place was still there in that sullen part of the city and tonight he was going to pay their humble abode a visit. Tonight, Himitsu was looking for a little payback, but not as a way for revenge. Tonight was all about justice, comeuppance as it were, and Himitsu wasn't going to be satisfied until the hangout was left smouldering and in ruin. Tonight, the 20 Buster gang was going down.

* * *

(Shit is about to get real! As a side note, I'm sure some of you will be wondering about why Heihachi isn't competing in the third tournament. That's because Heihachi isn't competing in the 3rd tournament. Referring off the last A/N I posted in the previous chapter; I'm making the story "better", you'll see. Everything will make sense and that's what's so great about Tekken's story, it can be so easily molded into your own take on the tale. Anyway hope you've liked a little more Himitsu, the story does centre around him and Jin but I will talk about other characters at times as well, but only when they matter to the story. Enjoy!)


	24. A Long Time Coming

Chapter 24 – A Long Time Coming

"That's so cool Xiao!" squealed Miharu in delight at what she was witnessing.

Xiaoyu was deep in her training at the current time of night. She was practicing her Hakke Sho techniques and perfecting her movements and her stance by 'turning the circle' in the centre of the Mishima Estate's dojo. This however wasn't a simple exercise of walking in a circle for Xiaoyu. This time, in the middle of the circle was a constantly rotating striking pole with long slats sticking out at different angles. As Xiaoyu continued to move, her body flowed around the slats as they passed her body by inches. Whenever she struck one of the slats, the pole would rotate in the opposite direction and Xiaoyu would walk the other way also; that way she could continuously move against the slats that were oncoming towards her. Miharu gawked at the sight of her best friend moving around the planks of wood as if she was a snake, completely mesmerised by her skill. It was like she was navigating through a constantly changing maze as her body ducked and weaved out of the way and when it looked like the pole would stop, Xiaoyu would strike at any of the slats with a quick palm strike or a swift kick and the process would restart all over again.

With the tournament only days away, the pig-tailed girl had been training extra diligently over the week to fully prepare herself. Preliminaries were to begin after Monday and she would be put into a block category against several other entrants who over the next few days would compete against one another in order to make the final 16. These 16 fighters would appear on the grand stage of the Tekken Tournament as it's official finalists and would compete for the title of King of the Iron Fist. While a year had passed since she first arrived at the Mishima Estate, the dream was still very much alive for Xiaoyu. When she wins this tournament, she was going to have the greatest amusement park on Earth made. Xiaoyu knew that this task was easier said than done, and sure, if her sparring with Jin had taught her anything, it's that it was wise not to reveal all of yourself to a potential opponent. Lately, any time Xiaoyu would spar, she'd hold back her better techniques and simply let Jin off with an easy win. When alone, she'd properly train and enhance her fighting abilities, and it was showing its results right now. As for Miharu, she'd been given "permission" to have her best friend stay over for the weekend and she was determined to show Miharu exactly how good she really was.

Xiaoyu's palm strikes began to speed up as she started to reach the end of her time in the circle. The pole sped up in not only its rotations but also in its change of direction. Her body zig-zagged around the oncoming slats, dodging them by the centimetre, her body becoming a flurry of lightening quick movement. Sure, Xiaoyu wasn't a powerhouse, and she definitely didn't have huge resilience. If she was to be the glass cannon of the tournament, then she would play to her strengths and dodge any blow that came her way. The opponent would only swing at air if they took her on and she in turn would cut them down for their mistakes. Xiaoyu's body would then twirl continuously as her posture changed and lowered, still dodging the swinging boards. Miharu's jaw had dropped and watched on in amazement, at a disbelief that how her friend kept evading the boards as they soared right at her. Then to finish, a swift palm shot out from Xiaoyu and grabbed an oncoming slat and stopped it in its tracks, instantly halting the rotation of the pole. Pleased with herself, Xiaoyu backed away and spun around to face her friend sitting a metre away, with her mouth wide open. Xiaoyu face flushed red and stuck her arms up in the air like she had done a gymnastics dismount. The out-of-place action got through to Miharu and she started to clap hysterically, her eyes beaming at her friend.

"THAT. WAS. AMAZING!" she cried, "Xiao, you're gonna own at the tournament, no one will be able to touch you!"

"That's the idea!" replied Xiaoyu, giggling at the appraisal, "But really, all that at the end came down to memorising where the boards were going to be. I doubt an opponent will want to keep doing the same attacks against me if they have half a brain."

"Don't doubt yourself Xiao; you're absolutely amazing at that. You have what it takes to win, surely!"

"I hope so, but I can't deny that there are going to be some really tough opponents in the tournament as well. Like Jin for example, he's really good."

"Well duh Xiao, but... I sure he's going to have a little soft spot for you." Miharu playfully winked with her comment.

Xiaoyu's cheeks blushed again, "Knock it off! Jin's going to take this tournament seriously. It's got a lot to do with him after-all. He's not going to go easy on me for any reason, and I have to act the same way."

"Oh come on Xiao, don't deny your feelings. Every time I mention Jin around you, you go pink in the cheeks, it's so cute!"

"No I don't!"

"Yes, you do. You're only lying to yourself bestie."

Xiaoyu sighed, "Alright fine, I like him. But who doesn't? I mean, you like him just as much."

"No way, I'm more interested in that brother of his, even if he was a little skinny when I saw him."

"You barely saw him at all! In fact, you didn't even know he was Jin's brother until I told you; and by the way, he's adopted so there."

"So? They're still brothers in a way. So if we married them, guess what that makes us?" Miharu stood up and grabbed onto Xiaoyu's hands with excitement.

"What?"

"SISTERS!"

Miharu started to hop on the stop in front of her friend, giggling as she did. Xiaoyu spontaneously started to do the same. It was a far-fetched idea, but that didn't mean that Xiaoyu didn't like it. The two girls hopped around like what they were, schoolgirls with crushes; hand in hand and laughing to their fairytale futures.

"What are you jumping about for?" Came a voice from the entrance to the dojo.

Xiaoyu and Miharu instantly stopped and darted their eyes towards the door to see Jin standing there. He stood at the entrance with a raised eyebrow and an amused expression on his face, luckily it seemed like he had interrupted the two school girls at little too late a time to overhear their conversation.

"Oh nothing much," Miharu responded, "We're just excited that Xiaoyu is going to win the tournament is all."

Jin scoffed at the answer, "Hmph! Good luck with that Xiao."

"Do I detect a hint of fear Jin?"

"Sure Miharu, whatever you say. Look, it's late and your late night training is keeping people up. Perhaps you two should go to your room or something just as quiet."

Not waited for a reply, Jin left the two girls at the dojo and proceeded to go upstairs to his room.

"He's right, it's past 10 now, we should head upstairs." Xiaoyu admitted to her friend.

"Alright, cool. Wait, how about we get some snacks from the kitchen on the way?"

"Hmm, yeah that's a great idea, let's go!"

As the two exited the dojo and proceeded to the kitchen, Xiaoyu suddenly stopped in her tracks and her mood changed. Her thoughts had turned to Jin, and also to his brother Himitsu. She hadn't had the chance to speak to Jin about everything that had happened that day that his brother showed up at Mishima Polytechnical. Since Jin had finished school, he had cut himself off from the outside and engrossed himself into his training. He spent too much time away from people and it had distanced Xiaoyu from being able to talk about these important issues with the raven-hair. Himitsu's talk to Xiaoyu on the day he came back was still vivid in her head. He wanted Jin to not participate in the tournament in the hopes that it would save his life and Xiaoyu believed his words to be of genuine concern. Right now, Xiaoyu could sense that Jin was open to talk to for once and wouldn't turn her away like the other times; it was worth a shot.

"Miharu," Xiaoyu called out to her friend, who stopped and turned back to look at her, "I need to speak to Jin real quick, think you can head to the kitchen on your own? I'll meet you back in my room."

"I think I'll manage, but why do you need to talk to Jin for?"

"It's kinda personal, and I think I'll only have this chance to… HEY, STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!"

Miharu held a hand to her mouth to stop herself from laughing, "Ok bestie, whatever you say. Have fun with your boo! Hahahaha!"

Miharu skipped off to the kitchen, leaving Xiaoyu to repress a scream of frustration. She then remembered what she was supposed to do in the first place and hurried off upstairs to Jin's room. Quickly racing up the two floors, and catching sight of Jin entering his room, Xiaoyu called out to him.

"Hey Jin! Wait up!"

Jin turned to the noise and paused at his doorway as Xiaoyu stopped right in front of him with a skid. The two stared at each other as Xiaoyu opened her mouth to speak, though at first no noise came out of the pig-tailed girl. Her mind was drawing a blank in front of the Kazama, everything that she was saying over and over in her head on the way to Jin's room had discombobulated at the sight of him. Her heart-rate was accelerated and her cheeks were a gushing pink as she looked up into Jin's eyes. Jin just looked at her in confusion, not sure what this was all about.

"Are you going to say something?" he asked her.

"Y-yes… Yes, it's just…it's not gonna be easy to say." She replied with caution, thinking about every syllable she uttered before she spoke.

"What are you talking about Xiao?"

"I…I…well I, well…"

"Look, would it make you talk properly if we sat down?"

"Yes! I mean; yes, that would be great."

With a shrug, Jin led Xiaoyu into his room and the two sat down on the lounge. Xiaoyu sat up straight with her legs stuck together and her hands on her lap as she looked at Jin, meanwhile the raven-hair casually sprawled loosely on his side of the couch with one leg up and his arm laid over the top of the long chair.

"So," Jin said, restarting the so-far vague conversation, "what is it that you have to tell me?"

Xiaoyu actually felt a little more relaxed than before and spoke up, "Well, it's got to do with your brother."

Jin shifted in his seat at the mention of Himitsu, "What about him?"

"I spoke to him outside the Mishima building, on that day."

"What? Why did you not tell me this?" his expression had grown from irritated to agitated in an instant.

"Well, you've been so reclusive lately that-"

"Am I stopping you from talking to me now? You're in my room after-all Xiao!"

"I know, it's just that it's never easy to talk to you and-"

"Don't make excuses Xiaoyu."

'I'm not! You never let anyone close to you Jin, and I've been trying so hard for you to at least look up and notice!"

Tears started to form in Xiaoyu's eyes as she yelled at Jin. The raven-hair could tell that he was being too hard on her and decided to ease off.

"Look, do you know where he is?" Jin asked in a polite manner.

"H-he wouldn't tell me where, but he said that he was leaving Tokyo."

Jin sighed at the answer, his expression started to relax as well. While in the months that had gone by, Jin and his brother's fateful reunion still played at him for how awful it went. Feelings of happiness had quickly vanished as the conversation became more and more aggressive between the two. The two of them needed to patch up what had happened, and Jin felt that it may culminate at the tournament now that they were at the twilight of its commencement.

"He talked to me about you Jin." Xiaoyu continued, drawing Jin's attention back to her.

"What about?"

"He said that…you shouldn't compete in the tournament, for your own good."

"W-what?" Jin's mood completely took a 180 at this.

"He's worried about you Jin, and so am I. This thing you have with Ogre is getting to you. You don't care whether or not you live through this. I can't bear to see you throw your life away Jin, and neither does your brother. He said he'd even stop you himself if it came to it."

"Oh really? And why do you think he wants me out of the tournament if he's going to compete himself?"

"Because he cares about you J-"

"No, he doesn't! All he wants is Ogre for himself, just so HE can be the one to avenge my mother. And to top it off, he's deluded into thinking that she lives! He's crazy Xiao! Don't fall for his bullshit!"

"That can't be right Jin, he genuinely cares for you, I know he would. Why would he check up on you in the first place if he didn't care?"

"He was in a coma Xiao; he didn't know whether or not anyone survived that night in the forest. His mind is warped and he's hell-bent on trying to find mother. If there's anyone that needs to stay out of this tournament, it's him! He's not sane and is more of a danger to himself than anyone around him. And further more; how can anyone possibly reason that he's even capable of competing in this tournament? He has no school of martial arts to cling to and even better yet, he would have had only about 6 months to even remotely prepare for this. I've had 3 years! He was a husk of himself when I saw him, how can he possibly compete? He'd be torn apart by you even, let alone Ogre, and he thinks he can stop me? He has another thing coming if he even tries I assure you. It's HE who needs to stay out of this tournament, not me!"

"Alright Jin, forget about Himitsu and listen. I don't want you to throw your life away! Please, I can't stand the thought of you dying just for your mother!"

"And why is that? Why would you even care about what happens to me anyway?"

"BECAUSE!" Xiaoyu had moved closer to Jin and had shot a hand out to touch his own on the top of the couch, "Because, I…I… You, Jin…you mean to much to…just…"

Her eyes were still watery as Xiaoyu looked deeply into Jin's brown eyes. Jin was at a loss of words for what to say as a response, he'd never seen Xiaoyu so emotionally distraught, and it was not because of him, it was FOR him. All this time, he'd never allowed anyone to get close to him like Himitsu and his mother did. They were all he needed to rely on as an emotional backing and since they had left him, Jin never wanted anyone to replace what they were to him. But here he was, looking into Xiaoyu's own brown eyes and feeling the same connection that he had for his mother and Himitsu at one time. Xiaoyu's innocence was a weakness to him, but he couldn't run from it. For the first time in ages, he felt wanted by someone. He felt a sense of humanity looking upon Xiaoyu, a feeling of kinship. If he could ever rely on anyone to be by his side, Xiaoyu was just about the closest thing he could ask for.

"Xiao." Jin took her hands in his own, "I know you care for me and I'm happy that you do. I don't want to throw my life away though; I want Ogre to pay for what he did to my mother. Because of that monster, I can never see her again and I cannot let something as cruel as that do the same to anyone else. Most importantly, I don't have any doubts that I can defeat him, because I will and no one else can. This is my destiny Xiao, and I have to conform to it no matter what."

"Ok Jin, just…just promise me you won't die."

Jin smiled at the pig-tailed Jin and pulled her in for a hug, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I promise I won't die from Ogre Xiao. I'll come out of this tournament just fine, I swear it."

Xiaoyu started to weep into Jin's shoulder as he promised her. She was so worried for him and yet so happy that he was allowing her to be this close to him. She felt special and could feel that she actually meant something to the raven-hair. While it wasn't a huge step in the way of having any kind of relationship with Jin, Xiaoyu knew that it was a step closer to something none-the-less. There was no doubt to Xiaoyu about it now, she loved him but she knew that it would take a lot more than this for Jin to even remotely reciprocate these feelings towards her in return. As she continued to cry into his shoulder, Jin looked up and towards the entrance-way towards his balcony. For him, his thoughts were turned towards this brother. Despite the animosity he harboured for him, he felt worried about what his brother was doing right now. Would he really enter the Tekken tournament? Would he confront Jin and personally try to take him out of the tournament, just for his own safety? What about his safety? How would he be able to compete in his state? He had only been out of his coma for half a year, how could he possibly be able to fight? As far as Jin was concerned, he didn't have the time, the patience, or the blood that ran through Jin's veins. Still, there would only be one way to find out, and it would happen after the weekend.

…

In the most lawless part of Kagoshima city, the 20 Buster hangout was situated at its epicentre. The streets around the large building were full of unruly people, either associated with the gang or simply staying out of the eyes of the law. The police of the city rarely ever bothered with this part of town, letting the crooks and criminals of the city have their own little patch of turf and letting that keep them out of the other parts of the city. Outside the hangout were a dozen of the members, all loitering around the front entrance. While only the most prestigious members carried firearms nowadays, many still had access to knives and other lethal objects to help get their point across to anyone foolish enough to step up to them. Most were in lude conversations with each other and weren't paying too much attention to anyone in particular as a tall individual walked up to them. He wore dark blue jeans with chain accessories on them, a dark olive shirt, an ornate, red and cream scarf with a dragon design on it and on his forearms were several iron bracelets on each wrist. As he continued to walk, one of the gang members noticed him and alerted his pals around him, the gangsters started to eye the individual approaching them and reached for their weapons in apprehension. The man's head was lowered the whole time to hid his facial features from the men in front of him as he advanced. It was late at night and the lights of the streets shone down on him but his profile remained in the shadows.

"Hey dude, back off here. This is 20 Buster turf. I ain't seen you around here before so you'd better fuck off outta here if you know what's good for you." One of the gangsters said to the man.

At the warning from one of the gang members, the man's head slowly raised to meet the gangster who had spoken forth unto him. As the lights started to reveal his face, the gang members recoiled at what they saw. While the man's face was perfectly fine in its detail, a huge scar could now be seen. It seemed to start at the base of his hair where flowing white strands could be seen which stood out from the spiked and ridged black hair that was everywhere else. The scar worked its way down the man's face; in-between his right eye and his nose, down and around the right side of his mouth and ending below his jawline. The scarred man spoke up to the gangsters circling him, his voice as cold as the artic and as blunt as a hammer.

"Just thought I'd let you fellas know. The name's Himitsu, and I'm about to burn this hangout into the ground."

The men froze at the outlandish comment. While the most typical response to such a threat would be a hearty laugh at much a bold claim, the way this man had projected his warning was with the upmost seriousness. He didn't falter on a single letter, his eye contact with the gangster who spoke was one of daggers and his body language was hugely intimidating to say the least. There was truth in these words, and the aforementioned deed hadn't even been done yet.

Not waiting for a response of any kind, Himitsu dashed into the man who had spoken to him and delivered a powerful left punch that took the gangster off his feet and into the wall behind him, hitting it with a crack. Just as quick as the punch, Himitsu spun around and landed a Spinning Heel Kick to the two closest gang members to him. The kick collected both chins of the two men and propelled them into the air, twirling like they were in the ballet and their bodies hitting the ground with a loud thud. The 9 men remaining immediately started to rush the Lionheart who had turned to face the men fully and had bent at the knees into his Shiko-dachi stance. Himitsu slowly moved backwards to increase the distance between him and his enemies as fists and knives came straight for him. His fists struck out at all directions of the incoming attacks and comfortably blocked them; his hands moved at un unseeable rate as his iron bracelets broke fingers and snapped daggers upon contact. The attack from the gang members ended with them holding their hands in pain and Himitsu then came onto the offensive, returning to his natural fighting stance and charging into the fray. Powerful punches and whip-like kicks wailed all over the nine gangsters and try as they might to counter the lone aggressor, Himitsu was all too quick to block and parry oncoming blows and unleash a furious return. Working in a constant, fluent motion, Himitsu beat down the gangsters who began to fall like dominoes as one-by-one they were beaten into a pulp and knocked unconscious with the last man standing launched into the front door of the hideout. Using the man as a battering ram, Himitsu launched into him with a Leaping Side Kick, blasting the huge door off its hinges. As the dust settled down around the broken door to the building from the grand entry, the Lionheart casually stepped over the gangster below him, who looked like his upper chest had been crushed from the kick and was now limp, and walked into the building's main floor. At the ground level was a split combination of a bar and a strip club. Scantily clad dancers and barmaids screamed and ducked at the loud intrusion as the gangsters on this floor turned to the entrance and upon seeing Himitsu, started to brandish different assortments of weapons that they either had or were available to them; knives, bats, brass knuckles, pool cues and even beer bottles.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU BREAKING INTO OUR PLACE!?" one of the gangsters near Himitsu yelled.

Arrogantly flicking his white hair away from his eye, The Lionheart responded, "I'm the man that's gonna turn this place into a fucking hot pot, that's who."

"…"

"…"

"Fucking skin the nutjob!"

About 20 gang members recklessly charged at the entrance, rampaging towards Himitsu who confidently got back into his natural stance; turning side on to his aggressors, his left hand closed in a fist and his right held closer to his face and unclenched. The first of two gangsters to reach Himitsu were knocked aside by a Right Roundhouse kick as a third was swept at the legs by a low spinning heel. The third gangster turned parallel to the ground in mid-air and Himitsu followed through and finished the 3-hit combo with a vertical right fist. The punch was so great that the gangster's body was blasted away by the hit and his body collided into the approaching gang members behind him, knocking them down like a bowling ball. Himitsu's head snapped to the left of him and a swift left kick came out in that direction which cleaned up a gangster trying to flank him. 6 more gangsters followed in that direction and closed in on the Lionheart. As their weapons swung at him, Himitsu in turn blocked their attacks and countered with powerful fists for each man attacking him. His attack went in a pattern of blocking and then striking. The gangster could do nothing to find an opening as they were repeatedly punched in the face, the fearsome hits breaking noses and blackening eyes. Himitsu worked his way in-between the six men and then leapt into the air and performing two jumping kicks while airborne. Both left and right legs collected two gangsters each and upon landing, the Lionheart struck out at the two remaining men in the circle with a double palm strike, knocking the men away and into a seating booth and breaking it as they collided.

More gang members circled around Himitsu and started to attack from all sides but even with their numbers advantage, they couldn't knock down the Lionheart. More attacks were either blocked or evaded as Himitsu stood his ground, his body moved with furious resolve as sweat glistened his body and his eyes burned with fire. He controlled the rage inside him as he landed precise kicks and punches whenever he could, flooring any attackers with the deadly blows. A pool cue came wailing into him from behind but he was still able to face the attack and block the blow, the pool cue breaking apart on contact. Himitsu then grabbed the arm holding the cue and forced it close to him, swinging the man around like a ragdoll with his legs whopping any gangsters close enough. In a single motion, the Lionheart stressed the arm downwards and slammed the gangster face-down to the ground. The force of the take-down snapped the man's shoulder and bought out a shriek of anguish. As more gang members surrounded him, Himitsu grabbed the half-broken pool cue and started to use it like a club, swinging its heavy bottom bit around. Multiple gangster's heads were whacked and lunged at with the pool cue, Himitsu's technique was flawless with the weapon as bodies were flung into the air from the flailing blows. Himitsu's stick rampage ended with the rest of the cue breaking apart with a thunderous smack across the head of one of the gangsters, his head seeming to break apart as well from the impact.

Creating space, Himitsu leapt over a booth and got up onto the stripper's stage at the catwalk for some elevation as more gangsters came down to the entertainment floor, hearing the commotion from upstairs and interrupting their time with females of their own. Using the new height advantage to full effect, the Lionheart's snapping kicks wailed into several unprepared heads and anyone able to scramble onto the stage were met with numerous fists and chops, knocking them back off. The stripper pole acted as the perfect swivel for the Lionheart, utilising it to quickly maintain his footing and be alert for any unforeseen attackers. Over 2 dozen men were now laid on the floor at this point, either writhing in pain or knocked out completely; but more were still upstanding and were still fighting through the pain. Eventually Himitsu had to retreat from the catwalk and end up on the main stage; still dozens of 20 Buster gangsters were still coming for him. As two closed the distance, they were launched with a Double Lift Kick, flinging them over the heads of their allies. Another gangster swung madly at Himitsu with a lead pipe which not only was easily caught in mid-swing, but the Lionheart then forced the gang member behind him; using the pipe to hold his head over his shoulder by the neck. As Himitsu held the man, the approaching gang members halted in their advance and set their position only metres from him, in caution. These gangsters now had more effective weaponry and were holding switchblades, swords, machetes, pipes and even flailing maces. Himitsu by now adorned cuts and scratches all over his body; his clothes were partially ripped, holes were now in his jeans and his scarf had been left by the stripper pole on the catwalk. He observed his multiple adversaries with malice, eyeing each and every one of them down with the intent to maim. The high-rhythm beats of the club reverberated around him and the gangster held by his shoulder groaned and choked in the precarious position. Himitsu's breathing was unbelievably steady, his level of confidence was through the roof as he held his ground. Nothing before had felt like such a rush for the Lionheart; his antics as a child could not compare to the ecstasy he was revelling in at the moment. He was in full control of his destiny at this very point, a wrong move spelling disaster and the road to prevailing was a tightrope to walk across. The thrill of the fight was enthralling for him and right now, there was no place he'd rather be. He needed this, although not as much as they needed it.

With break time over, Himitsu pulled the gangster behind him inwards and flipped him over his shoulder. As his body came into view, a swift right kick knocked the man away and into the crowd of crooks. The remaining gangsters not caught by the flying body rushed in and wildly attacked. Himitsu wielded the long pipe with power and technique; blocking any oncoming strikes and whacking away at heads, arms, legs and everything in-between when he could. Bodies flew left and right as the hits kept on coming, Himitsu showing incredible focus as blood showered the stage from heads getting smacked open and bodies getting viciously poked. Himitsu practically cleared the stage of the gangsters, leaving only less than a dozen still holding their own. 4 gang members rushed the Lionheart from his right in a straight line which opted Himitsu to chuck the lead pipe squarely at them. As the pip bounced off them, Himitsu brought it back towards them with terrible vigour with a step-in left thrust kick called Ransukikku. The power of the kick knocked all four of the gangsters off stage and Himitsu leapt after them, stomping down on the pipe still on top of them and crushing their chests from the force. Two more gangster jumped off the stage and charged at Himitsu with switchblades aimed for his jugular. Their stabs were masterfully parried and their hand crossed into each other, the blades of the knives stabbing their pal next to them. Himitsu bashed them both away with a Double Fist Strike to their faces. Finally, a swinging cross chop struck at the neck of a gangster trying to attack Himitsu from behind and a follow-up snapping right kick busted the left knee-cap of the crook.

Himitsu turned to face the final 4 gang members still standing. Each of them were bleeding and had several bruises, heaving in breaths as they looked at the one man wrecking machine before them. As Himitsu took a step towards them, in terror, they dropped their weapons and ran out of the building. A smirk came across the Lionheart's face as he watched the men flee, he picked up his scarf from the catwalk and after putting it back on, he walked towards the bar. Behind the counter, the barely-dressed barmaids when crouched in fear, too scared to look up at the carnage around them. As Himitsu came into view, the barmaids screamed in fear, but all the Lionheart did was simply open the side-door for them to leave the bar.

"Get out. And take any assholes you favour with you." He commanded, the barmaid wasted no time in doing so.

Now inside the bar himself, Himitsu started to procure several bottles of hard liquor and spirits and started to splash the liquid over the bar and the nearby booths. Once satisfied, he pulled out a packet of matches and start flicking flames into the inflammable substances what now stained the club, fire starting to grow as a result. The entertainment floor was soon fully ablaze and while this was what he wanted, Himitsu couldn't help but keel over and repress rushing memories of that night nearly 4 years ago.

 _Come on! Man the fuck up!_ He thought to himself as he stood back up and made his way upstairs.

Carrying another two bottles of spirits, Himitsu ascended to the second floor and started to splash more of the liquor on the wooden walls. He kicked down doors, making sure there were no more gangsters hiding, instead all he found were naked women all cowering in fear. Telling them to do the same as the barmaids, the flimsy women ran out of the rooms in coats and bathrobes and down to the ground floor to get out of the now burning building. Himitsu continued the burning process until the sounds of screeching tires from outside caught his attention. Heading to a nearby window at the found face of the building, Himitsu looked down to see 4 vehicles pulled up at the front, coming out of them were more able bodied members of the 20 Buster gang, these ones however were carrying guns. Not too bothered by the addition of firepower, Himitsu's head ducked back in and continued on his way, lighting more of the hangout on fire. As he reached the third floor, smoke was starting to bellow out of windows and the roar of the building ablaze was loud and frightening. The last of the liquor from the bottles was splashed around the third floor and caught on fire with the last of the matches he had available. Below him, loud footsteps could be heard, cautiously advancing towards him. After checking to make sure no one else was on this floor, Himitsu ascended to the fourth and final floor and prepared himself for the final stand of the 20 Busters.

About 15 men slowly worked their way up the stairs of the burning building, each holding either a handgun, sub-machinegun, shotgun or a rifle. These were the more established members of the 20 Buster gang, well into their years and moved up from their scummy antics from their youth. They were just several of the elder members that personally handled drug-dealing, extortion and prostitution. Not long ago they got a call from their Kagoshima hangout that someone had broken in and slaughtered their men, and in a hasty response, drove over to quell the intrusion and restore order. Obviously with the building starting to fully burn, they were most likely going to move out of Kagoshima for a while if their place becomes unsalvageable. They cleared the first three floors and made their way up to the fourth. Each of these men had hung out here for a good part of their late teens; they made good friends here and worked together for the gang. No matter how dark and wrong some of their activities were, the ultimate goal was to excel the 20 Busters into a powerful force of the Kyushu Island of Japan.

The gangsters moved through the fourth floor until they reached a large room with a glass skylight up above. The room was quite dark around most areas but the light coming from above shined down into the room and highlighted an ornate scarf left discarded on the raised platform. The gangsters noticed it and moved forward, it was important as the call from the hangout at the time of the intrusion had specified what the lone attacker looked like and a similar scarf was mentioned. The men gathered under the skylight as one of the gangsters picked up the scarf and inspected it.

"Must be the guy's." said one of the gangsters.

"I don't like this," said another, this one with orange hair, "Feels like a trap, watch everywhere!"

Guns were pointed in all directions as the gang members scanned the shadows around them, they remained hunched up in the middle of the room, feeling safe under the night light coming from above. All of the sudden, the skylight broke apart and Himitsu dropped down from up high, onto the gangsters below. This happened to be the same skylight that a certain ninja swordsman had broken through to save Himitsu many years ago, and Himitsu wanted to copy that same entrance for a little added effect. As he landed, he stomped on the heads of two unsuspecting gangsters, squashing them faces into the hard wood beneath them.

"FUCK, NOT AGAIN! KILL THE BASTARD!" one of the men yelled.

Gun were pointed inwards as Himitsu went to work. While guns were aimed right at him, no shots were initially fired as Himitsu moved through the gangsters like a second layer of skin; disarming and throwing the gang members around to disorientate them. Any melee strikes with their weapons were either dodged or parried while any gutsy shots were regretted as not only did the bullets miss the Lionheart, but several ended up as friendly fire, hitting any unlucky gang member. This scenario continued for only a brief moment as guns were dislodged and dismantled with bodies tossed aside, scattering men all around the room. With the gangsters now stretched back and thinned out without any weapons on them, Himitsu started to demolish the contingent of men with extreme lethality. Himitsu moved at a ferocious velocity; barrages of fists sailed at a group of 4 men, knocking them all into a nearby wall. Three other gangsters flanked him from behind and tried to pin him against the wall, but Himitsu's powers as too great. Shoving the men off, three vicious roundhouse kicks each took the faces of the gang members and sent their bodies spinning through the air and landing harshly on the wooden floor. Another man fell victim when he tried to strike Himitsu from behind as well, his swinging fist easily dodged and countered with an uppercut. As his body lifted into the air, Himitsu hit him to his right with a jumping left kick and his body collided with a charging gangster, flinging both of them away. A quick dash in to another gangster and a powerful left fist blasted him away, meanwhile another came in from the right and his punch getting effortlessly blocked. Instead of countering the gangster, Himitsu eyed an even great threat and pulled the man's body over his as a gangster from the other side of the room fired with a rifle he had picked up. The bullet from the weapon was taken by the meat-shield gangster, hitting him in the back. Not waiting for a follow-up shot, Himitsu charged at the gunman with the gangster's body still raised in front of his and once close enough, tossed the unconscious body at the gangster. The rifleman fell back from the oncoming body and before he could steady himself, Himitsu had picked up the man by the rifle still in his hands and smashed him into the wall behind him. With the rifle now firmly in hand, Himitsu thrashed the butt of the weapon across the gangster's face, breaking teeth with the hit. A follow-up melee from the weapon knocked the man unconscious. Continuing the assault, Himitsu parried an oncoming slash from a machete and caught the man's arm. Torqueing the hand holding the blade, Himitsu violently flipped the gang over and onto the floor, twisting the arm and a way that had the man end up on his stomach after the fall and his hand still held and raised in the arm. Following up on the grapple, known as the Broken Wheel, Himitsu placed his foot on the head of the gangster for leverage and then twisted the arm, dislocating it at the elbow. Himitsu then handled the machete from the now crying gang member and slashed at 3 more oncoming enemies. The first swipe of the blade cutting at the first gangster's thigh, the second swipe done after ducking the fist of a second gang member and slashing him across the chest, the third swipe done in an upwards motion and cutting from the third man's body up through his chin. Each man lay on the floor in agony from the swift attack and Himitsu finished off by throwing the long knife at a gangster from across the room who had picked up another firearm and was about to open fire. The knife connected in-between the gangster's right should and his neck and sent him into another wall, his body slowing slumping to the floor.

There were just over half a dozen opponents for Himitsu still standing at this time, most of them came at him with fists and were quickly punched or kicked away. Some would pick up any more of the firearms left lying around but they were quickly disarmed and punished by the Lionheart. His brain was functioning at light-speed, taking notice of all scenarios that could happen only seconds from that point in time. He remained one step ahead of his opponents at pretty much every attempt; their actions were hasty and not thought-out, making their attack easily predictable. The benefits of the Isshin-ryu fighting style was that it helps alert the practitioner of the numerous ways a fight could go and how to be ready for different circumstances in such a street fight.

From his right, a gangster rushed in with a handgun to fire directly at his face. Himitsu palmed the gun off continuously as bullets whizzed past his head by inches. He then grabbed the man's right hand, holding the gun, and started to twist it in a way of disarming the gang member. The gangster responded with a left punch which unsurprisingly was caught by the Lionheart.

"Let. Go. Of. ME!" the gangster screamed as he was held at bay.

Himitsu's eyes widened at the voice, it was familiar to him and upon looking at the man, more memories flashed before him. Memories of being here once before, memories of the forests of Yakushima. The man had orange hair and on his left arm was a long mural tattoo. He knew his man well, so well, that he remembered his name.

"Ken…" said Himitsu with a sinister tone.

"What? How do you- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Like he was holding a twig, Himitsu squeezed so tightly on the gangster's left fist that all four fingers snapped under the pressure. After twisting the gun out of Ken's other hand, Himitsu kicked at the gangster's shins, bringing him to his knees, and then started to wail devastating left kicks at the chest of his old nemesis. The kicks broke ribs and knocked air out with each terrible strike, after about 10 repeated attacks, Himitsu let go of the broken hand and let Ken's body fall backwards onto the floor. The demeanour of the Lionheart had completely warped at this point; while he still kept his focus, his intentions with the men in this room now were unintentionally evil, especially for the man slumped at his feet. Himitsu took a knee by the head of Ken and lifted him up by the neck.

"You remember me? Huh Ken? Don't recognise the hair? That's too-"

Himitsu cut his sentence short as a gangster rushed at him from behind, wielding a long knife. The man took quick and deranged swipes at the Lionheart, only missing by the smallest degree. The man was recognisable to Himitsu now; this was Naro, Ken's good friend. The memories of repeated crotch shots to Himitsu's groin were very well present in his mind as well. A stabbing lunge from the gangster was caught by Himitsu who then snapped the arm at the elbow, resulting in a cry of pain from Naro but the gangster still fought through the pain. He attacked with a right side kick which was parried by Himitsu who caught the leg and with the opening, stepped in and kneed Naro right between the legs, in the sweet spot. A high-pitched wain of agony escaped Naro's lips from the hit and his left leg lost strength and caused him to buckle onto the ground.

"That was for MY balls." Exclaimed Himitsu, "But for good measure…"

Himitsu followed through with a Kirachoppu which hit the same spot his knee did. Naro's scream from the hit turned guttural as his hands went right for his balls and his upper body shot up in a knee-jerk reaction. Himitsu silenced the cry with a side-snapping right kick aimed for the left side of Naro's head. The sound of the neck snapping from the kick filled the room with morbid silence as Naro's body fell over one final time.

"NARO!" screamed a gang member several feet away.

Himitsu looked at the man now on his feet, shotgun in hand. This was the other one of the three men that he knew well, this was Woozy. In blind rage, Woozy cocked the shotgun and fired at Himitsu who ran side-on around the large room to avoid the pellets of the firearm. With exceptional speed, despite everything he had endured for the past hour, Himitsu zig-zagged around the around and gradually closed in on Woozy after 5 repeated shots missed him by millimetres, two of the shots hitting fellow gangsters. Once in arms' length, Himitsu seized the weapon from the gangster and easily disarmed the man, hitting the head of Woozy with the butt of the shotgun. The gang member staggered backward from the hit and Himitsu capitalised; dropping the weapon, he rushed at Woozy with a leaping double kick and followed with a Chinto Rush, consisting of three quick body punches and finished with an outwards, left sweeping head kick. Woozy hit the floor like a brick, face first and his knees slightly bent which made him look like a slug. With a cold smile, Himitsu went over to the shotgun and picked it up. He went back over to the body of Woozy from behind and took aim.

"This, is for my ass."

Himitsu shot right up main street at Woozy without a second thought, his body toppled over and remained still. Seeing a few more gangsters getting to their feet, Himitsu shot another two and with the shotgun's chamber empty, dealt with the others by hand. Devastating rights and lefts came in and cracked skull and chests from their blows. Blood splattered over the room as Himitsu's silent fury continued. These men were not going to be as lucky as those down below, should they have got out of the building and escaped the fire. These were the real names of the 20 Buster gang and had to be dealt with. With their demise, the remainders of the gang would have to try and rebuild themselves, a task which was much too daunting to do nowadays for a bunch of teens and young adults. These men had to die.

Before long, flame and smoke consumed the fourth floor as Himitsu dragged the still conscious body of Ken with him at the balcony of the burning building. Behind him, the large room under the skylight was burning up from below and the mostly dead bodies of the remaining gang members burned up in the growing torrent of fire. After dealing with the remaining men, the Lionheart had battered Ken around the room like a lion playing with his food. By now, Ken had no energy to walk; his legs were busted and broken, he was bleeding all over and one of his eyes was sealed shut from getting a wicked thumb poke. Tossing the gangster at the railings, Himitsu stood tall and menacingly over his prey. He once again took a knee and lifted Ken's face to look at his.

"Answer me Ken, do you remember me?" he calmly asked.

"N…nnnn… No…" came the slurred reply.

"Really? Well perhaps you might remember this then?"

Himitsu held up his left wrist to Ken's eyes and flashed the gold and diamond necklace in front of him. For a few seconds, the orange-haired gangster looked at the jewellery with fleeting interest, but soon enough, his eyes focused and widened at the sudden realisation of not only where he had seen the necklace before, but who had taken it from him. Himitsu noticed the now aware Ken and smiled.

"What was it you told me the last time I saw you, when you were about to rape me? I think it was, that fucking necklace was gonna get me 6,000,000 yen. Well Ken, I still got it as you can see and I'm keeping it for that special lady who handed you your ass that night. Just thought I'd let you know."

Ken's eyes started to water, "P-p-p-please…" he begged, "I… was an… a-a-asshole back then… I'm not…like…that a-any…more… Don't kill…me!"

Himitsu's smile disappeared as he got back onto his feet. He looked down at the gangster and flicked the white hair out of his face, a trademark action he had been doing nowadays.

"Don't you worry." He said, "I'm not going to kill you."

A crooked smile showed up on Ken's face as he heard the news, but Himitsu continued.

"I'm not going to kill you, because you're not good enough to deserve it by my hand. So, I'll let gravity do the work for me."

"Wh-what?"

"By the way, I don't think you ever got my name did you? Good, let's keep it that way."

"W…wait! No. No, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NOOOO!"

Himitsu took Ken by the neck and lifted him up for a final time, he cocked his arm back and then chucked the orange-haired gangster up and over the railings. Ken fell from the building, head first, and collided with the pavement while screaming all the way down. A long and gratifying breath of relief came from Himitsu as he looked at the now dead body from above for a couple moments and then left. Breaking into a run, Himitsu leapt off the burning building and landed crashed through a window of the building next to the hangout. By now, Kagoshima's fire department had arrived outside the building and begun their work in extinguishing the huge fire that was now causing the building to slowly topple and fall.

A short while later, Himitsu was in a nearby alleyway picking up his bag and guitar out of a trash bin. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the lights of the still burning hangout creeping over the buildings around him, the air was a distilled red and the smell of smoke filled the surrounding areas. Now that the deed was done, Himitsu felt a deep feeling of regret; if anything, this was something that Jun would never stand for. Despite how wicked those men were and the terrible things they had done to get to the position they were in, the act of murdering them as still a dark one to take for the Lionheart. He had learned not only from his mother but from Master Shimabuku that the act of revenge was one that would hurt yourself more than others. The way Himitsu saw it, was that this was the carrying out of justice, justice for the atrocities that these men had committed over the years. However, not only were these atrocities unknown to Himitsu apart from what had been done onto him, he was sure that no one would see it that way if they were there to witness it for themselves. This was a nature unlike anything Himitsu knew he could possess, from the moment he saw Ken and recognised him, he wanted nothing more than for the men he was with to suffer. Even unconscious opponents were relentlessly attacked in the Himitsu's fury. He resented the actions he had committed, even the way the dealt with Ken, he should've had his life ended quickly, but Himitsu wanted to see the agony in his face with even limb he broke, every punch he landed, ever drop of blood to protrude from his body. It was like a lust for him.

 _I hope you'll forgive me._ He thought to himself as he slung his bag over one shoulder and rested his guitar on the other, _But I needed to know, to know that the boy that killed at the age of 6 was still there. If I am to be ready, I must be ready to take a life in order to save another. It's the only way._


	25. The Week Begins

(Finally got this chapter up after a hectic week! I've gotta be honest, my early hopes that I could do this story and my uni work are fading by the day. Most of the time I've been writing this chapter and a few before it up while I was on the bus. So there were plenty of times where I would redo certain parts that I was unsatisfied with. I think for a week I'm gonna focus on my uni work, the worst part about that is that it's a mid-term break for a week. But assignments call and I have to answer if I want a job, responsibilities, fuck me right? Regardless I'm pleased to say that I am officially "officially" OFFICIALLY now at the third tournament with this story. Got a lot of storylines to blend into one another, it's gonna be good, trust me. Please continue with your reviews, it's always a pleasure to read and learn from them. And don't forget to favourite and follow if you're a member, it'll help immensely if you're interested in this story and don't want to miss out on the next chapter. Enjoy!)

* * *

Chapter 25 – The Week Begins

The air in Tokyo was abuzz with excitement as the final day of entry into the Tekken Tournament rolled through. Many tourists had flocked to the capital of Japan to witness the impending tournament, having left a lasting impression on the world nearly 20 years ago. From an economic standpoint; the tournament was doing wanders for spending in the country, merchandise was being sold out everywhere and people were paying money for any chance of watching the tournament, be it at the stadium or worldwide through their TV screens. What some people might find as a barbaric style of sport was really something to behold. It wasn't just the thrill of the fight, there was the showmanship of the fighters that was greatly respected. The meeting of various forms of martial arts and fighting styles from around the world brought in a huge fan base as favoured fighters and their fighting styles were rooted for from back home, in the hopes that they can bring glory to their country and their art form. Of course, fighters were also favoured for their personality and their appeal, the previous Tekken tournaments having plenty of that. The Tekken tournaments were as real as they could come; the blood, sweat and passion on show was something to glue your eyes to, the world loved it.

Himitsu had made it to Tokyo in the early morning, getting a train from Kagoshima, all the way up to the capital city. The ride was long enough for Himitsu to get a little shut-eye while in transit and awoke to find himself only several miles away from Tokyo. The memories of last night were playing at Himitsu the whole time he was on the train and especially in his dreams. The bloodlust he had felt at the time had settled down and he was left with the profound remorse over the things he had done that night. It wasn't like him to do something like that, while he could be passionate, he was at heart a man of sensibility now that he had matured and no matter how swayed and aggressive his emotions could make him at times; he was able to keep that stuff inside him and not lose his cool. What was worse was that a strange part of him was asphyxiated by the violence that he ensued; grotesque thoughts circled around his mind as he fought the gangsters, wanting them to suffer beyond belief and it was only through the need to continue fighting for his life that he was able to suppress these thoughts and stick to his prime objective, that being to have the hangout burn to the ground. Now that he was in Tokyo once again, this time for the tournament, he at least had something to occupy his focus. The tournament awaited him, Jin awaited him, Ogre awaited him and most importantly, his mother.

The city was definitely a lot busier from the last time he was here, no doubt because of the tournament. He walked through various marketplaces, sold off any of the remaining trinkets he had in his bag and carried on in search of the official administration building owned by the Mishima Zaibatsu. There was definitely a feeling of anticipation in the air as Himitsu got closer, and it wasn't just himself. People all around him only had one topic of discussion to pay any mind to; people rambled on about the tournament and the hypothesised fighters that would be participating. There was plenty of talk about the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu and the thoughts about whether he would be competing or not. Topics also ranged to other former fighters, multiple names being thrown around that the Lionheart had no interest in remembering, that was until the name 'Jun' picked at his ears. He glanced over to the direction of his mother's name and listened in to two males as he walked by.

"…and no one's seen her for like 20 years, she was a pretty good fighter from the old footage I saw recently."

"She lost to Heihachi Mishima didn't she?"

"Yeah, apart from everyone that she crushed in the earlier matches, Heihachi absolutely schooled her, she ended up in intensive care because of it. After that, she just disappeared."

"You don't think she…you know, died?"

"What, Jun? Nah, there would've been an official report about it or something. Besides, no one's ever died in these tournaments, the medical staff they have on hand are apparently the best in the northern hemisphere."

"Well, what about Heihachi's son, Kazuya?"

"What about him?"

"Well everyone's pretty well aware that he died after the tournament, have anything to say about that?"

"Never really looked into it. I'm sure that's all hush-hush though."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm almost certain that Heihachi had something to do with it, they had a huge rivalry after-all, and on top of that…"

The two men went out of earshot as Himitsu continued on walking, now coming upon the administration building for the Tekken Tournament. Like any building owned by the Zaibatsu, it was an elegant, modern design and stretched high into the air. The exterior was a sleek black and upon entering, Himitsu was greeted by a clean white with coloured designs throughout the interior, paintings and murals of expensive art decorations adorned every wall where space was available. Himitsu walked over to the building's registration desk and greeted the lady behind the counter.

"Good morning, I'd like to sign up for the tournament."

The lady looked by from her desktop at Himitsu, at first seemingly taken back by the size of him but quickly resuming her formalities.

"Do you have an official invitation to the tournament?" she asked him.

"I…do not." He cautiously answered, he never knew there were actual invitations in the first place.

"In that case you'll have to pass a medical and physical aptitude test to gain entry into the prelims starting tomorrow. You've cut it kinda late for entering, we're not really accepting anymore fighters at this point."

"Well, I can assure you that I'll be worth the time if you give me a chance."

"Very well, I'll start by inputting your details." The lady started to open up a file on her desktop and proceeded to type away. "For now, I'll just need some basic information off of you so we can have you in the system. You wouldn't happen to have any form of identification? Driver's license? Birth certificate?"

"Uhh… Not on me, no."

"That's…okay. Umm, alright then, what's your name?"

"Himitsu."

"Himitsu...?"

Himitsu eyed the woman suspiciously at first but then understood what she meant when repeating his name.

"Oh, um, I don't have a last name, that least one that I'm aware of. It's just Himitsu, honestly."

"Am I to assume that you don't know much about your childhood? No family to speak of?"

"I can't be the only person here with that sop story, right?"

"Very well." The lady started typing into her computer, "Date of birth?"

"I…really don't know that either. But as far as I'm aware, I'm 20 this year."

"I'll still need a day and a month if I'm going to be able to send you on through, I can't just have 1993."

"Okay, just…put down the 1st of January then. I don't mind."

The lady added the date and continued onwards, "Ok, you have brown eyes? Black hair predominantly. Are you born here?"

"Pretty sure I am, don't recall ever coming here on a plane in my youth."

"Ok, and finally, are you a specialist in any form of martial arts?"

"Yes, I've studied Isshin-ryu karate in Okinawa for several months now."

"Months?"

"Hey, I've already become a Dan in the time I was there, I'm good, trust me."

"Very well Mr. Himitsu." The lady finished writing up Himitsu's file on her computer and then printed out a sheet and scanned a bracelet with a barcode reader on it, "Take these with you, this band will send you alerts on where you are to report to. Once the internal files have been processed you'll receive information on where to go for your aptitude tests."

"Ok, thanks."

Himitsu walked away from the desk and took a seat nearby and attached the band to his right wrist. He sat and placed his hands under his chin and waited. The staff of the Zaibatsu moved around him like robots, heads buried in the tablets they held. The conversations brief with their colleagues and their interests in the world around them seemingly non-existent. It was definitely a new thing for the Lionheart to witness, he'd been so used to the primitive nature of the world around him that was still found in some places. He'd lived in poverty, seclusion and in strict standards for most of his life and the concept of technology was something that he barely understood. He didn't understand how it could replace the more traditional method of communication that he was accustomed to; talking through phones and cameras to people in another room to the other side of the world was as fascinating as it was morbid. The people around him didn't even look at each other's faces as they spoke, and there was Himitsu in the thick of it all, observing this unnatural form of human behaviour.

A beeping signal came from the band that Himitsu wore and on the small screen it had, was a floor number and directions. Himitsu stood up and proceeded to the mentioned elevator instructed in the message on the band. Once inside, he placed the band over a scanner and went up several levels to his destination. Once out of the elevator he walked over to a reception desk and talked to the staff member behind it.

"Hi, I'm here for the aptitude test?"

"Sure thing, I'll need to see your papers for identification."

Himitsu handed over the paper he still held, the receptionist had the details on the sheet scanned and then directed Himitsu over to a nearby room. Stepping inside, Himitsu was greeted to a large room that had the looks of a gym on one side and a lab on the other. Standing before him was a Tekken Force soldier, although this one was not wearing a helmet and had what appeared to be an officer's uniform on. The soldier huffed in his direction as Himitsu approached.

"Greetings." Stated the soldier, "My name is Sergeant Teeko and I'll be in charge of this test. Proceed to the gentlemen on my right for your medical analysis."

Not bothering to introduce himself, Himitsu walked over to the lab part of the large room and was instructed to strip to his underwear by the staff waiting there. Himitsu did as he was told and got onto a moving platform that he was told to wait upon. A clamp was put onto his finger and then the platform started to move like a conveyor belt and Himitsu was carried inwards; the room he was in got dark and green lasers traced all over his body. On a screen in front of him that was mirroring the same details that the scientists were getting; his height was displayed as 6'1", or 186cm, and his weight then followed as 89kg. What then followed was a visual blueprint of Himitsu's body-type which was labelled as Ectomorph and while Himitsu was looking at the screen, he felt a sharp pinch on the finger the clamp was on. Moments later the screen displayed his blood type as B- with an asterisk. A couple more bits of information was displayed on the screen before the room lit up again and the door on the other side of the room opened. Himitsu stepped out and was handed his clothes, with the Sergeant speaking up again.

"Well, you check out for now. Do you have any proper training clothes to perform the physical test in?"

"Got a change room?" Himitsu replied.

Himitsu remerged into the room wearing his training Gi. The Gi consisted of a short-sleeved white kimono shirt with the crest of the Isshin Ryu training dojo on the right side of the shirt, outlined in a sharp orange. The short-sleeves were cut to allow his powerful arms to pass through unrestricted and showed off his huge biceps. His pants were an equal white as the shirt but on the left leg was covered in a large graffiti style pattern with colours of pale orange, light blue, dull red, bright green and black. The colours ran obscurely in multiple lines all the way up and down the pant leg with no distinct form of symmetry. Himitsu finished off the look with his newly acquired black belt and tape wrapped around his hands and wrists and finally his iron Tetsuwa bracelets. The Sergeant in charge gulped at the sight of the Lionheart, he hadn't seen anyone in a while that gave off such an intimidating look, he gave off the look of a fighting legend and showed no sense of doubt in himself.

The Sergeant cleared his throat before beginning, "Alright, the first stage of the physical portion of the test will focus on your strength. Based on the reports from your medical, you're required to lift a weight that's above your own over your head. Take that 100kg barbell there and perform a military press."

Looking in the direction of the Sergeant's pointed finger, Himitsu eyed a large weight before him. Shrugging at the trivial challenge, Himitsu walked over to the barbell and positioned himself over it. Taking a deadlifting stance by bending his knees and placing both hands equal apart on the bar, Himitsu straightened him legs as he lifted the barbell up and under his chin. He groaned at the heavy weight and wobbled at the knees slightly but held his form. Taking a moment to compose himself, Himitsu then let out a roar as he lifted the barbell over his head and straightened his arms. He held his position for about 3 seconds before he dropped the weight back onto the sturdy floor before him, the barbell bouncing a few times after impacting with the ground. The Sergeant looked on with a bemused expression, not highly impressed.

"That looked like it was almost too much for you, our reports suggested that you'd be able to handle this fairly easily. Can't help but say I'm a little disappointed."

Himitsu sucked in a few breaths and then straightened up and responded, "Is it alright if I try again?"

"Ha! Why? You look like you wouldn't manage lifting a fly after that."

"Just you wait…"

Himitsu started to pull the bracelets off his hands and chucked them into a pile, each Tetsuwa making a loud sound as they hit the floor. Himitsu then faced the barbell once again and cracked his fingers in anticipation. He re-positioned himself in the same stance he had taken before and placed his hands equally apart on the bar. This time, without so much as a groan, Himitsu hoisted the barbell up and rested it under his chin, and just as soon as he had done so, Himitsu lifted the barbell up over his head and straightened his arms. He then started to do the last action again multiple times, lowering the barbell below his chin and then lifting it back up again, almost like he was mocking the Sergeant as he did so who looked on with astonishment. Once satisfied with his efforts, Himitsu gently placed the barbell as his feet and looked at the Sergeant with a smirk on his face.

"How was that?" he jested.

"D-it…it was good. Good. Alright, next test is your speed. Proceed to the uh, umm, t-there. Go over to the track."

Himitsu held back a chuckle as he approached the starting line of an indoor athletics track, it seemed to over for about 100 metres and it started in a curl and ended in a straight line.

"The premise of this test is simple; you are virtually competing with the other entrants who have placed in this test before you. As long as your time is within the appropriate bracket, you'll pass. If it isn't, well…"

The Sergeant went over to the other side of the track and pulled out a stopwatch. He then yelled from his end to Himitsu who was taking his starting position.

"When the buzzer sounds, you run! I don't think I'll need to tell you twice!"

"You won't!" replied Himitsu, legs placed in the starting blocks and his hands touching the floor before him.

After a moment's pause, the sound of a loud buzzer rang through the room and Himitsu shot off in a sprint. His legs moved at lightning pace as he bolted around the curve of the track and blitzed it down the straight. The Sergeant at the end of the track came closer and closer into reach as he stood at the finish line with his stopwatch in hand. In a matter of 12 seconds, Himitsu ran past him and crossed the finish, hearing the click of the stopwatch as he went by the Sergeant. The upcoming wall at the end of the track came quickly into view as Himitsu decelerated and ended with his hands planted on the wall to fully stop himself. He looked back to the Sergeant who simply nodded in his general direction and then beckoned Himitsu to follow him over to a large training mat in the middle of the room.

"Well done," he began, "You just made the cut there, now for the final part, your endurance. We'll start it off simple; you're to do 50 push-ups, 50 sit-ups and then 50 calf raises off that step over there. You are not to take any breaks and after that must immediately proceed to the centre of this mat."

"What am I doing on the mat?" Himitsu asked.

"You'll find out shortly, now, begin!"

Himitsu did as instructed and dropped to the floor to begin his push-ups. In no time at all he reached 50 and turned over to his back and started with his sit-ups, everytime he came up he saw the Sergeant staring at him with a grouchy look on his face. Although it took longer and his abs started to hurt, Himitsu reached the 50 sit-ups as well. He got up with a slight wobble and went over to the step to perform his calf raises. While it didn't take as long as the sit-ups, the Lionheart's calves started to burn with fatigue and he winced silently at the pain. Still, he soldiered on and before long reached 50 once more. He got off the step and slowly walked back into the centre of the training mat, the space around him definitely looked like the mat was used for sparring and Himitsu's premonitions before what he'd be doing now were shortly answered.

"Now, I'm sure in your karate style that you're familiar with Kumite? Try to perform a single takedown on me, if you cannot and I instead am able to take you down, you must perform the previous exercise once again. You get only three attempts."

A bamboozled expression appeared on Himitsu's face upon hearing this, "Well that seems rather unfair."

"Those are the rules of entry." Answered the Sergeant, "This is a test of your endurance after all, and by exercises I mean the 50 push-ups and so forth, in case you were confused. Now, enough stalling, you are to try and perform a takedown in any way you can. Come at me!"

The Sergeant raised his hands and got into his fighting stance as Himitsu did the same. This seemed less a test of endurance for him but more like a handicap. Still, it wasn't like he'd have a choice, and perhaps he'd enjoy tossing this soldier around for a bit.

"Take you down in any way I can, that's what you said right?" he asked.

"Exactly." Came the Sergeant's reply.

Without a second to waste, the Sergeant closed in on Himitsu and attempted to grapple him by the shoulders. Himitsu responded by pushing the Sergeant off and creating some space. The two then circled each other for a brief moment, eyeing out any sign of weakness that could be seen. Himitsu's entire body was feeling the effects of the three 50 rep exercises he had done before, his calves still hurt and his chest felt slightly fatigued now. Both then dashed into one another as Himitsu made a grab for the Sergeant's arm, but was pushed off just as easily as he had done before. The Sergeant then made a grab for Himitsu's head and got him into a headlock and tried to bring him to the ground. Luckily Himitsu was able to stability his centre of gravity and keep himself upright. Grabbing at the arm that was around his head, Himitsu started to straighten back up and uncurl the arm around his neck. As he did so, he saw an opening and went for it. A swift left knee to the Sergeant's stomach caused the man to clutch at his gut in pain.

"AHH! You're not meant to-"

With him distracted from the pain, Himitsu pulled at the arm of the Sergeant and flipped him over his shoulder and onto the mat. He stood over the Sergeant with hand on hips and a cheeky grin on his face.

"Takedown, I win."

Still holding his stomach, the Sergeant rose to his feet and blasted a tirade at the Lionheart.

"This was strictly a single takedown contest! That means takedown, and nothing else! By striking me you've disqualified yourself!"

"But you sad in any way I-"

"Did I say you could strike?"

"You didn't say I couldn't."

The two men looked at one another with a nerve-racking look on both their faces. The Sergeant didn't like the brazen attitude of the Lionheart and Himitsu just didn't like the guy.

"You are disqualified." The Sergeant sneered.

"Hang on." Himitsu interjected, "How about I let you get a punch in yourself, wherever you want. I won't flinch or anything, that way we can restart and be even. I'll even do the exercises again to make you happy. It's a fair deal wouldn't you say?"

The Sergeant stroked the stubble on his chin, looking taken to the proposition, "Why should I?"

"Because, I'm certain that you want to, and also I'm sure your superiors would be upset that such a talent as myself would be wasted from not being in the tournament."

"Ha! You're not in the tournament yet sonny, that's up to me to decide."

"Well then, I don't know what your problem is."

The Sergeant cracked his knuckles as he accepted the proposal, "Fine! But it goes in your face!" he shouted as he turned side on and brought his right fist back.

Himitsu obliged and lowered his head so that the Sergeant had full view of it. A cool, emotionless smirk came onto his face as he watched the man before him wind back his fist and take aim. Once ready, the Sergeant launched his fist forward and flew it right into Himitsu's face, until it was caught. In an unseeable motion, Himitsu's right hand had come up out of nowhere and took the Sergeant's fist in his palm. The Sergeant gasped at the sight on his closed hand easily held at bay by Himitsu and tried to pull it back.

"What-…w-w-what the fuck are you doing?"

With his emotionless smirk turning sinister, Himitsu pulled the Sergeant violently towards him and delivered another brutal knee strike straight at his gut. The Sergeant buckled onto his knees as all the air in his lungs rushed out of his body but quickly felt himself being lifted up by Himitsu, still holding onto the Sergeant's fist. Himitsu executed his Broken Wheel throw and planted the man face first into the mat and twisted his arm just before the point of dislocation. The Sergeant yelled in pain and tried to get free, but Himitsu simply torqued his arm and made the man hold his position on the ground beneath him.

"Now, you listen well." Began Himitsu," I might not know you, but I've ran into a couple soldiers such as yourself a while ago and my experiences with them haven't been all too great. Trust me, if there was any way for me to know if you were present when I was Tasered or when I was being made fun of while I was shoved out of a Mishima building, I'd break your arm here and now. Actually, I might break it anyway for the fun of it, unless, you end this bullshit and simply pass me from this test. Whattaya say?"

The Sergeant could only groan in his humiliating position, the scientists in the lab part of the room looked on absolutely speechless. They were unsure of where Sergeant Teeko was going with this part of the test but seeing him on the floor made them feel nothing but pity for the soldier being made a mockery of. The Sergeant's refrainment from answering the Lionheart implored Himitsu to press him further.

"I'd better hear a yes soon, or I'll just have to take your non-compliance as a no, sonny."

"Hmpf!" came a low, gruff sound from the room's entrance.

Himitsu looked up and was greeted by the unpleasant sight of the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Heihachi, standing tall and proud. As Mr. Mishima strode over towards him, Himitsu reluctantly let go of the Sergeant and straightened up as Heihachi stopped right in front of him and starred up at him with the utmost confidence. The two hulking men didn't utter a word as they continued to glare at one another, while the Sergeant slowly made his way to his feet and started to march towards Himitsu in a rage.

"FUCKING BASTARD-!...ahh…M-m-mr. Mishima?"

Heihachi had turned towards Sergeant Teeko as he closed in and seized him by the throat and hoisted him into the air. Electricity surged through Mr. Mishima was he held the Sergeant off the ground and looked into the soldier's terrified eyes.

"What an embarrassment! Fool!"

Like he was holding a tennis ball, Heihachi threw the Sergeant across the room with terrible velocity. Sergeant Teeko sailed through the air, screaming, til he collided with the wall behind him. Both Heihachi and Himitsu watched the man fly through the end and upon the impact, looked back at one another.

"As for you," said Mr. Mishima, "I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't impressed. Who's your teacher?"

"None of your business." Replied Himitsu flatly, his eyes not wavering to look away from Heihachi's.

"Fine, be that way. I guess you pass the test then. I still had to see it for myself, however. When your name popped up, I felt obliged to see what you showed up as after these months. After the money I spent on you while you were a potato I expected a little return of investment, and needless to say, you didn't disappoint."

"You're not going to grovel at MY feet now are ya? Don't play me for a fool, I see perfectly through your bullshit."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, for someone who didn't go to school, you're quite sharp! Good, good, well; I guess all that needs to be said is, welcome to the King of Iron Fist Tournament."

"That's wonderful, I'm looking forward to the day I put you in intensive care then."

"Hate to crush you dreams potato, but I'm not participating in this tournament. I've got the boy to compete for me anyway, so don't get over yourself. You'll need all the luck you can get…"

Heihachi turned and walked away, but Himitsu wasn't done slinging a verbal assault at Mr. Mishima.

"Not surprised, always knew you were gonna treat Jin like a pawn while you cower in the background, like a bitch!"

Heihachi stopped in his tracks and lowered his head slightly at the snide comment. Tinges of electricity started to flash around his body as he tensed up. Himitsu watched the man before him and steadied himself for any form of retaliation, be it verbal or physical. The electricity suddenly vanished as Heihachi turned his head a little so that a smirk could be seen on his face.

"Hmpf! I would have thought that Shimabuku taught you to never underestimate your opponent."

Himitsu's mouth gaped at the mention of his karate teacher, but Heihachi wasn't done there.

"Not only that, but your time with that old Sensei should have also taught you a little bit of respect for those much more wiser than yourself."

"Ah-ah…y-you…you've been-"

"Spying on you? I'd rather coin it as, keeping tabs on my investments." Heihachi turned fully to face an irritably distraught Himitsu whose face was a crimson red with rage, "Very move you've made since you left Tokyo has been well documented, and I have to say, that little renovation you pulled in Kagoshima was a sight to behold. I would've let you into the tournament just on that account HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Himitsu could even utter a word at this point, he felt so many ranges of emotions at this point but thankfully had the composure to not express them. Nonetheless, he felt so undeniably played at.

"Now understand this," Heihachi continued, "you are no threat to me in any way, shape or form. No one is even second to me as your very existence, ESPECIALLY yours, is to but further amuse me. Don't think for a moment that you're game to me, because you've already lost before the game's even begun. Learn your place, and remember what you are; a potato."

With a deep chuckle, Heihachi turned once more and left the room, leaving Himitsu on the spot and balling his fists in furious anger. It felt like all the months he'd spent preparing for this moment had amounted to nothing, being watched over like a lab rat and ridiculed. Heihachi, for a moment, had just about crushed whatever sense of pride and determination he had in himself, his tenacity for being the best and winning above anything else made him undeniably ruthless in his efforts. Himitsu could only sigh and grimace at his inner humiliation. What was he really doing? Did he even have a chance against such a juggernaut of power and wealth? For now, he would have to bide his time and let this so-called game be played out in Heihachi's favour, he'd have to play along.

Picking up his Tetsuwa bracelets, Himitsu was escorted out of the room by one of the scientists who at the reception desk, finished processing his entry registration and gave him instruction on where he would be staying for the week of the preliminaries and how the early matches would play out. Himitsu could compete in between 4 or 5 different specified areas around Tokyo where the winner could continue on until they secured a place in the final 16. The finalists would then compete at the new stadium built for the Tournament. All Himitsu had to do was keep on winning, a task easier said than done.

As Himitsu was leaving the administration building, he caught sight of a young woman storming up to a black limousine with the Zaibatsu insignia. Several Tekken Force soldiers blocked her path and held her back while the limo drove away.

"HEY! Get your hands off me!" the woman yelled, shoving the soldiers holding her back away from her.

"Listen girlie, Mr. Mishima does not take kindly to interruptions in his day. We just did you a service by keeping you away from him." One of the soldiers responded.

"You listen to me! That man has my mother and I know it, I need to talk to him this instant! As a fighter in the tournament, I have a right!"

"Doesn't matter miss. Either way, you're better off waiting for the tournament anyway, get to your hotel."

"Bullshit! Take me to Heihachi now!"

"Is there a problem here?" interrupted Himitsu, making his presence known.

The soldier turned to face the Lionheart, as well as the woman. She was quite a looker and stood at around 5'4 and wore what resembled a Native American outfit. She had a brown, leather, three-quarter length bra with a green shirt underneath, a denim mini-skirt, brown cowboy boots and white socks stretching over her knees. On her head she wore a Native American head dress with feathers, around her neck a beaded necklace and also wore brown, fingerless gloves. What parts of her skin that were exposed had a slight tan to it and shined in the sunlight. Her two ponytails bobbed as she answered Himitsu.

"There definitely IS a problem, I need to see Heihachi this instant and all you men are getting in my way! And that includes you!"

She pointed a finger at Himitsu who threw his hand up in innocence.

"Woah, hang on! I'm not a fan of the old man either, so no need to have a go at me."

Seeing that she was in the wrong, the woman put her arm down and sighed tragically. The soldiers started to walk back to the administration building, leaving Himitsu with the other Tekken fighter. Undoing the hairband he still had on, holding his hair in a spiked ponytail; his black strands sprang out and drooped into their preferred places like a mane. The woman stood in a slanted posture with one of her hands on her hip and other by her side.

"Look, I'm sorry I came off as rude. I'm genuinely not like that, but it's just that I was so close to talking to that bastard, and they all messed it up for me." Said the woman apologetically.

"No sweat." Replied Himitsu, flicking his white strands out of his face, "But they were right in a way, the old man won't ever talk to you unless he wants to. I would know after having to see his bald head before."

"Before? Y-you talked to him?"

"Yeah, but don't get all upset. The guy kinda saved my life, not that I'm grateful or-… why am I even telling you this?"

The two stared at each other, both very confused with one confused with himself and the other confused with the other just as much. Himitsu decided to change the subject entirely.

"Fuck, whatever. You got a name?" he asked, scratching his head.

The woman raised an eyebrow at the query and folded her arms across her chest in defence, still she felt it was okay to answer, the man in front of her was merely trying to be civil.

"Julia."

"Julia… Um, my name's Himitsu, JUST Himitsu."

A light chuckle escaped Julia, "Okay 'Just' Himitsu."

The two cracked an awkward smile at one another, not sure how to continue. Julia's eyes trailed down Himitsu from his head to his body. He towered over her and looked immensely toned. His olive shirt was ripped in a few distinct areas as well as his jeans, but he didn't seem bothered by it to her. In his left arm, he held to neck of a guitar that played at Julia's intrigue.

"Is that a guitar?" she asked.

Himitsu raised the guitar to his face like he had just discovered he was holding it in the first place, "Yeah, yeah it is."

"I'm surprised to see one here, else one held by a supposed fighter in this tournament."

"Really? Why's that?"

"Well, unless you've got something important to do with your life, being someone in a fighting tournament to hold and play a musical instrument is a rare sight for sure. You're not gonna see anyone here pulling around a piano, that's for sure. You play it right?"

"Yeah, well, I used to…a while ago. I used to play for…f-for my mother, when she was around."

"Oh… What happened to her?"

"She…disappeared about 4 years ago…" a sigh came from the Lionheart as he said this.

"I'm sorry. It's the same with my mother too, she went missing several months ago. But I know she's still alive though, and better yet, she's here. And I'm gonna find her."

"Same, my mother's still out there as well. I know that this tournament's gonna bring me closer to her, I can feel it."

Himitsu looked away briefly, he'd never really conversed this subject to anyone before. Only Sensei Nikibo had such knowledge about Himitsu's past and he only knew because Himitsu let him look into his memories. It seemed only right now that Himitsu wanted to get this off his chest, to this girl. For some strange reason, Himitsu could feel a slight connection to her, but whatever it was that caused it, he couldn't put his finger on. Her whole presence seemed reassuring to him and it brought a more prominent smile to his face, a smile he had never knew shown for a long time.

"Hey, I think it's better we head to our hotels. Which one are you at?"

"Mine's in the Shibuya district." Julia replied.

"Rats, I'm up at Kita. Ain't that a shame."

"I guess it is."

"Yeah…"

"…"

"…"

"So…I guess…"

"We'll see each other around?"

"Yeah."

Himitsu held his hand out to Julia, which she took and the two shook hands.

"Good luck in finding your mother." Himitsu said to her.

"Thanks, and the same to you with your mother." Julia responded back.

With a nod to one another, the two fighters let go and made their way to their hotels, not knowing if they'd ever cross paths again. Julia was intrigued by the soft nature of Himitsu, he had such a hint of mystery about him, like he was someone off the grid that didn't seem to lose his cool. Himitsu simply couldn't get Julia out of his head as he walked away, she was so exotic to him and her fearless attitude towards the Tekken Force that held her back a while ago was something that he admired. What he liked the most about Julia though, was that at no point in their conversation did she ask about his scar, let alone look like she noticed it. The other person would be a subject of thought for the other as they made their away to their respective hotels.

…

Heihachi lounged in the back of his limousine as he sipped on a cold glass of scotch. At his feet was a prostitute he had picked up on the way towards the Mishima Financial Building in Tokyo, traffic was a little slow and it gave just enough time for the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu to get a quickie in before he arrived. As enticing as watching the work the woman was putting on his erect penis was, Heihachi's thoughts were actually turned to the verbal beat-down he had given to Himitsu. From the moment Himitsu had left Tokyo, Mr. Mishima had been getting a constant update on his where-a-bouts from his network of field agents. From every Buddhist temple he visited, to him leaving the 20 Buster hangout in flames, Heihachi had watched ever move he made. And after his recent conversation with a woman by the name of Michelle, Heihachi was going to make sure that Himitsu couldn't pick his nose without Heihachi being notified of his intention to do so. The way he had dismantled the young man made his member incredibly stiff at the satisfaction and along with the prostitute, he could feel himself about to climax. He put a hand down to the woman's head and forced her around his penis as he ejaculated into her mouth.

"You'd better not stain my pants." He warned her as he let go and threw her a box of tissues.

Arriving at the Financial Building, the prostitute was paid for her services and let on her way as Heihachi entered the building feeling quite refreshed. He wasted no time in making his way to the elevator and went up to the top executive floor, where his personal office was. He knew his guest would already be waiting for him and sure enough, there was Lei Wulong waiting in the floor's foyer.

"Detective." Said Heihachi, extending his hand.

"Mr. Mishima." Replied Lei, who reached for the hand and shook it.

"Let's talk in my office." Offered Heihachi as he opened the door.

The two men walked into the lavish office as two Tekken Force soldiers flanked them from behind and took their place on either side of the inside of the door. The office was incredibly spacious and had a wall-to-wall window behind the large desk which overlooked Tokyo. Heihachi went behind the desk and took his seat as Lei took a seat near the desk himself.

"First off Mr. Mishima," began Lei, "I'd like to thank you for the personal invitation to the tournament you have bestowed upon me. You're doing a great service for me with your generosity and I'm sure that there are only a few people on this planet to get such treatment."

"Hmpf!" came the gruff reply from Heihachi.

"I'm not going to take up too much of your time in this matter as I'm sure you have a lot to do for the tournament. You're right to say that it wouldn't take long for me to realise why you were inviting me here to apprehend this…cyborg. Putting your vague information together, it's obvious to me that you were talking about an old partner of mine by the name of Bryan Fury. Is my assumption correct?"

Heihachi nodded his head in agreement, feigning from giving a verbal response for the time being, Lei continued.

"The thing is; Bryan died in a shootout in Hong Kong well over a year ago, so the mere talk that he's alive is rather preposterous to me and I feel you're trying to send me on a wild goose chase."

"This is no fool's errand," affirmed Heihachi, "The cyborg is your dead partner. A scientist that we recently hired due to his expertise in DNA and cybernetics reanimated the corpse as to settle a vendetta against a rival of his. Need further proof? Here."

Heihachi pulled out a dossier from one of the drawers of his desk and plopped it onto the table for Lei to look at. The detective skimmed through the papers with alarm in his eyes. There were several pictures of a large man on an operating table, his body pulled open and machinery seen inside. Other pictures showed even his skull being opened and several organic components being replaced by artificial pieces. The man's face was easily recognisable to Lei as he looked on in disbelief. The last photo showed the man fully patched up and standing on his own two feet, his eyes were open and even for a photograph, he looked very much alive. Whatever doubt he had in this assignment were laid to rest at the sight of the documents.

"My god… But why Bryan?" he asked, his face pale from the pictures below him.

"The scientist in charge of this, Doctor Abel, believed your deceased partner to be the perfect specimen. He was a former US soldier, a proficient fighter, a terrifying man to be blunt. I'm sure you're well versed in his discretion to his duties."

Lei lowered his head in acknowledgement; Bryan had a cruel approach to his job as a detective for the International Interpol. Despite his sometimes barbaric methods, he got the job done just as well as Lei did himself. It was the reason why they were assigned to be partners, Lei's diligence to his job and Bryan's harsh manner went together surprisingly well. They were the epitome of the 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' of the police force and they were unstoppable.

"How do you suppose he'll infiltrate the tournament? And what's his target for that matter?"

Heihachi stroked his moustache as he answered, "The cyborg's prime objective is to collect data through physical confrontations. This purpose when put in other terms is to hunt down sources of information, namely humans. His target is a former employee of the Zaibatsu from 20 years ago by the name of Doctor Bosconovitch, Doctor Abel's rival if you're keeping up. His location is unknown but a certain Manji clan ninja would most definitely have that information and it just so happens that he's competing in the tournament himself."

Lei gasped at the realisation of who Heihachi was referring to, "Yoshimitsu?"

All of the sudden, the door to Heihachi's office burst open and a women strutted through. The Tekken Force soldiers at the door turned to face her and blocked her path, their firearms aimed directly at the woman. At the sight of the weapons, she looked almost terrified, placing her hand over her head in a mocking expression of shock as Heihachi and Lei watched on.

"Oh my! I don't want to cause any trouble, boys. I just need to see your boss is all. Wouldn't you strapping fellas be so kind as to let a pretty woman through? Pretty please?" the last sentence of the woman had a stroke of seduction to it.

The soldiers looked at each other for a brief moment, not sure what to do in this situation. They looked behind them at their boss who gave them a stale look of anger at their foolishness. Seeing it as a sign to have the woman leave, they turned back to her direction to find her not there anymore. A high-heel to the face of one of the soldiers re-affirmed her position as she attacked. The soldier was knocked right into the other and before the two could respond. The woman delivered a spinning cross chop that floored the two men in pain. The woman stepped on the two men with her high heel and ground them into the marble beneath them. She lifted her head towards the desk where the remaining two men were, Heihachi had stayed in his seat the whole time while Lei had risen from his chair and clenched his fists, ready for a fight. What the woman did next was peculiar to say the least. She winked at the two men a blew a kiss in their direction, laughing as little as well.

"Hope I didn't scare you gentlemen, but they were just ASKING for it, weren't they?" she said with a chuckle.

"Who are you?" demanded Lei, holding his position but remaining on-guard.

"Why officer, I'm surprised you don't recognise a pretty face when you see it. I certainly remember yours, hmm, yes I do."

Lei blinked repeatedly at the comment; part of him felt like he had seen his lady before but he couldn't for the life of him remember. Heihachi however was already a step ahead of the detective and broke the ice.

"Hmpf! When'd you get out of your popsicle Anna?"

Anna smiled at Mr. Mishima as he spoke her name. She took this as her cue to advance towards them. She graceful walked up to the detective and flashed a smile at him, which somehow put Lei right back in his seat like a shotgun had hit him. She took the next available seat by the desk and crossed one of her feet over the other as she sat. Anna wore a high backed, red satin dress that had an oriental design of an exotic bird on the skirt portion of the dress. The dress itself was slitted and allowed her left leg to be almost fully seen so it was no wonder she could land that original kick to the head of the soldier in the first place. She wore matching red high heel stilettos with brown-lace tights which covered both legs perfectly. She finished her elegant look with red satin opera gloves which reached past her elbows and a red ribbon choker around her neck with an emerald broach.

"Nice to see your memory still serves you well after all these years, Heihachi. I got out only a few days ago ad it didn't take me long to get situated in the 'now' as it were. I thought we'd all be flying around in cars but. Poop."

Anna pouted at Mr. Mishima, who could taste the sarcasm from the brunette. Meanwhile, Lei was rubbing his eyes in pure disorientation.

"Hang on a minute, you're Anna Williams?!" he blurted out.

"The one and only, hon." She replied, perking her lips at Lei.

"But, you…y-you don't look a day old! What the hell gives!?"

Anna lightly chuckled at the bumbling detective to her right, holding her hand to her mouth to cover her smile.

"I always knew I was blessed with the looks of Aphrodite, hahahaha! No seriously, if you want the real story, you're better off asking him." She pointed at Heihachi, "or actually, it would be better to ask his son. Oh, wait, we can't do that, now can we? What a loss, oh well."

"What is she talking about?" Lei asked Mr. Mishima.

"Hmpf, I guess there's no harm in letting you know. Anna was put in cryogenic sleep just before the conclusion of the 2nd tournament. She volunteered after her sister was put in the same predicament. How about you take a wild guess as to which former employee was in charge of this procedure."

"Doctor Bosc… Jesus…"

Lei buried his head in his hands, his brain was hurting too much for one day. Former partners turned zombie, frozen women; it was giving him a headache. Anna laughed at the detective once more, not covering her mouth this time. Heihachi turned his attention back to her.

"I'm surprised to see you here; being a part of Kazuya's security I thought you'd bare some sort of resentment towards me."

"I was EMPLOYED as Kazuya's security." Corrected Anna, "I don't work for free, just so you know. You could say that at this point, I'm like a free agent if you will."

"Then what are you doing in my office?! Let's not forget the fact you are weren't invited here, let alone how you got through my entire security!"

"Men are so easily persuaded Mr. Mishima, it's one of my many talents."

"Yeah, I'm sure it is. Shouldn't you be off somewhere else, fighting with your sister or something?"

"Well, that's what I'm here to talk about actually. I'm not sure whether or not you're aware, but my sister and I were meant to stay in cryogenic sleep for 20 years. Obviously, if I'm here right now, that means that we didn't stay under for, you know, the full duration. While I came out of the sleep all fine and dandy, my sister had amnesia. She couldn't remember who she was, who I was, or what she was doing there in the first place. Then for some reason, she went all GI Joe and said, get this; I must kill Jin Kazama. So I was like, who? And then she threw me into the pool and vanished. Now-"

"Hang on," Heihachi interrupted, "none of that makes sense. How would she know who the boy is…"

Heihachi trailed off mid-sentence and stared blankly forward, Anna looked at him with an annoyed expression from being cut off while Lei looked up to see the man also. Heihachi seemed out of contact for a moment with his eyes unfocused and his mouth slightly open, a rare sight to witness from the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Quickly he snapped back into reality and looked back at the brunette.

"So you're saying she's possessed I gather?" he asked, like nothing had happened prior.

"I don't know; all I did was come here after finding out who this Jin guy is. Seeing as he's your grandson I thought I'd at least warn you. Better yet, I hoped to find her as well."

The head of the Zaibatsu leaned back in his chair and mulled over this. It was rather coincidental to have both Ms. Williams and the detective in front of him at this very moment. Both had similar cases, and their targets were most likely to infiltrate the tournament to get their targets of their own. This could definitely work to his advantage

"Well, it seemed you two have a lot in common then. Detective, you already know your assignment so I won't have to give you too much of an overview on your objective here. As for you, Assassin, I'll keep this brief. You're to find your sister and stop her from carrying out her attempt on my grandson. I'll have you entered into the tournament and like Mr. Lei, you won't need to go through the preliminaries. You two of you are to work together on this, so your targets are one and the same, got it?""

"I don't need to enter some stupid tournament!" Anna yelled, "What point do I have to join?"

"And hold on a moment Mr. Mishima," chimed in Lei, "Why do you care about what happens to Yoshimitsu? From what I can recall, didn't he steal the prize money from the first tournament?"

"Silence!" roared Mr. Mishima, the two before him holding their tongues at the order, "You are going to enter because not only will you then have the perfect way of looking after the boy, but you'll generate massive views on your return. This business needs money to continue after-all. And as for the ninja, while he did steal the prize money from the first tournament, my son was head of the company at the conclusion so it didn't do me any personal harm. In a way, it helped me retake my position. Also, the doctor is an important asset and I'd rather have the information of his where-a-bouts obtained myself. He's much too valuable to me alive than dead. Now, do I have to repeat myself to the both of you?"

Both Anna and Lei shook their heads, Heihachi pulled a snide grin at the obedience he had over them.

"Good, now get out."

The two fighters stood up and made their way out of the office, not speaking a word to each other as they left. With the door shut, Heihachi crossed his hand and rest them under his nose. He turned his chair around and faced the large window behind, looking over the vast city before him and mulled over the recent day of information to himself.

 _So, he knows of the boy's strength then. This will complicate things if they're unable to meet in the tournament. And I know that the potato fits into this somehow, he's definitely a part of his plan, that scar shows it. For now, I'll have to wait for him to make a move. He'll come, I know it, and when he does…_

Heihachi got up off his chair and took a step towards the window before him. A cruel smile came across his face as he clenched his fist in front of his face.

"I will take your power, and make it my own."


	26. Raging Protector

Chapter 26 – Raging Protector

It was early morning and up to the final day of the preliminary fights around the city of Tokyo. A press conference was being held in one of the press halls of the Mishima Financial Building in the city and Mr. Mishima was the interviewee in question. No matter how much Heihachi hated having to answer pointless questions to the media, he accepted that today he would have to face the numerous members of tabloid media from around the world. It wasn't a current high point for the head of the Zaibatsu, but Heihachi drew in a deep breath and mentally prepared for the questions to follow. He stood behind the podium, off stage and surrounded by his most loyal members of security whilst his top advisor Harada fielded any early questions that he had the liberty to answer.

"The details on how the finalists will perform is still being kept under wraps." Chimed Harada, answering a question, "All you need to know is that all fights in the finals will take place here."

Constant hands shot up from around the auditorium where the conference was being held, the members of the press were crying out for either their question to be answered or simply for Mr. Mishima to take to the stage. Harada felt a bead of sweat slide down the side of his face under the spotlight, he turned to the back of the podium and looked towards his CEO, hoping that he could take control of this situation. Heihachi noticed Harada's eyes on him and shot back an intimidating stare to whip his advisor back into shape. Harada quickly looked back to the audience and started to take more questions.

Heihachi wasn't quite ready to step out, he was waiting for a report from one of his members of staff. The report would show him several things of interest to him; the status on the current surviving fighters how had won continuously over the past 5 days, the reports from his field agents and his two appointed fighters to track down their specified targets and also, any signs on the where-a-bouts of Ogre. So far, Heihachi hadn't caught a glimpse of the humanoid and only had a sketchy report on a sighting of a figure floating in the sky above Mount Amagi; it was only reason that he truly believed that one of the Williams sisters was indeed possessed by Ogre. He knew that the green brute was in Japan and had been drawn to the energies of the mass amount of worthy fighters. All Heihachi needed now was the chance to get Ogre to compete, should he find him.

Finally, a staff member of the Zaibatsu arrived and handed Heihachi a dossier with a bow. Mr. Mishima opened up the folder and read through the notes carefully, a smile smirk appearing on his face for most of the time but towards the end a grumpy expression came across his face at its uneventful conclusion. Ogre had once again eluded the numerous eyes of his corporation and it was starting to get on Heihachi's nerves who knew that time was running out.

"Alright, it's time." He exclaimed, thrusting the dossier into the chest of one of his security.

A guard quickly took to the stage and whispered into Harada's eye, the man's expression becoming elated at the words he heard, he cleared his throat and spoke into the multiple microphones in front of him.

"Members of the press, I have great news! Mr. Mishima-sama has finally arrived and will now take to the stage!"

The audience went into an uproar of ecstatic jubilance as hands shot up higher than before, the noise of the auditorium becoming an ear-splitting drone of questions and attention grabbing. Harada yelled at the top of his lungs to be heard over the rabble.

"PLEASE! CALM DOWN! CALM DOWN, PLEASE! I'LL NEED YOUR COOPERATION! PLEASE SETTLE DOWN AND WE CAN BEGIN!"

The press gradually dropped their volume as Harada started to announce Mr. Mishima.

"Without further ado, the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu himself, Heihachi Mishima!"

At his name, Heihachi strode onto the stage and took to the podium, the sound of the audience went into an uproar once more as he stood under the microphone and looked out to the ants before him. Heihachi had a bemused look on his face as he faced the media with little sense of joy. He wanted this over, soon. He rose his hand up to request silence from the people before him but got no change in the volume of the crowd, feeling himself getting ignored he started to flare at the nostrils and instead slammed his raised hand into the podium, splitting the wood. The audience gasped at the outburst and immediately pipped down at the sudden show of force. Their obedience cause Heihachi to grin.

"That's better!" Mr. Mishima gloated, "Now, you have 5 minutes, I repeat FIVE minutes of my time to ask me any questions regarding the tournament, so it better be a good one. My advisor will point out to the audience and select a member of the press at random, he or she will ask their question and everyone else will shut up when they do so. If you don't comply, you'll be taken out of the conference room, if several of you don't comply, you're all gonna get kicked out of the conference room. I hope I have made myself clear!"

The audience was in a hush, while a few exchanged whispered to one another, no one spoke up and out of line; as much as they need their story, they knew better than to get on the bad side of Mr. Mishima. The man was a figure of imposing stature, he held himself in high regard and would be damned to let anyone condescend him in any way, shape or form. No story was worth their own lives. Heihachi turned his head to Harada who stood like a statue, not knowing what to do.

"Harada!" Heihachi yelled, causing Harada to snap out of his nervous state.

Harada proceeded to take out a laser pointer and looking over the audience of people there, he shined the laser on one of the members of the press who in response stood up and began articulating her question.

"Mr. Mishima," the young lady spoke, "There was so far been no word of your participation in this tournament. Are we to assume that you've indeed declined from fighting in the tournament and are therefore dismissing any future participation for yourself?"

Heihachi cocked his head back and laughed, "GAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, you think I'm retiring? BAH! Not a chance! I can assure you all that I'm still as fit as I was 20 years ago and could wipe the floor with any of the fighters present for the tournament! No, I have opted to not partake in this year's tournament for personal reasons that I am unable to divulge to the public. However, you will be fortunate enough to witness my own grandson taking my place in this year's tournament. He will be more than able to pass of as a lesser version of myself, having learned my fighting style first-hand. In regards to future participations, all I can say is don't pass me out as an…old man, a Mishima can fight in his 100s as if he was only shy of 40."

The crowd murmured to one another in a soft drone at the answer but quickly remembered themselves and settled down once more. Harada then shone the laser at another member of the press and a bald man stood up.

"Your grandson, Mr. Mishima, has been unknown to the world for so long and was only caught in the public eye recently. Where did he come from and to who is his lineage besides who many assume to be your late son?"

"The boy's name is Jin Kazama and his parents are two former fighters in this tournament. I'll leave it up you to figure out who."

The room was dead quiet for a brief moment as everyone took in the short but heavy reply for Mr. Mishima. Before long the murmurs from the press grew incredibly loud as everyone eventually pulled the pieces together. Pandemonium took over at the revelation of Jin being the child of Kazuya and Jun, no one could believe it, nor comprehend the circumstances that lead to this. Phones were whipped out and people began clamouring to talk to their superiors and give in the huge scoop. Meanwhile, Heihachi wasn't enjoying the suddenly absence of obedience from the crowd below him and decided to remind the press of his earlier comments.

"Soldiers!" Heihachi quipped.

A loud deafening stomp came from the surrounding Tekken Force soldiers who all stood at the perimeters of the media at the same time. With guns at the ready, the sound of their boots slamming the group simultaneously brought everyone back to attention on where they were at this time. Phones were shut and put away as everyone became silent once more. Heihachi turned his head to Harada once again but this time the advisor was ready and waiting, the laser pointer and shined at another member of the press who stood up to speak.

"Ahem, in the 20 years that has passed since the last tournament, there have been many speculations into the nature of the recent murders of renowned fighters across the globe, one of the most notable is the death of the luchador known as King. Whoever is perpetrating these acts seems to have a thing out for martial artists and there is concern that these murders could culminate here at the tournament. Will your security be on the lookout for any similar occurrences throughout the tournament, and what are your personal thoughts on the matter?"

Heihachi took the time to mull the question over as he worked out a perfect response, it wasn't long before he spoke up.

"The Mishima Zaibatsu is well aware of these murders and will be taking the utmost measure in guaranteeing the safety of its participants…that is, until they fight, hehehehe… Still, this is one of the reasons for our finals being held at our newly erected stadium, the technology in it will be a huge attraction for the tournament and at the same time to ensure our fighter's well-being before and after their fights. As for this mysterious…killer, I have a feeling we'll be seeing him, or her, very soon."

"In the tournament?" the member of the press quickly asked.

"Not your time for questions anymore." Heihachi bluntly replied, causing the man the slowly take his seat once again.

Harada shined the laser at another person in the audience and a female now stood up to speak.

"Mr. Mishima, what are the Tekken Force still doing to Central America? There was to be a withdrawal of those soldiers over two years ago but there are still sightings of your private military in the area. Why hasn't the American government done anything to move your men out and why have you not been personally chastised for this blatant infringement of your powers in the Americas being abused?"

Heihachi's eyes narrowed at the women and held his tongue for a moment, holding back a very verbal response that was circling in his head. After a few seconds a wry smile curled at one of the corners of his mouth and his answer followed.

"My forces are purely there as a peace-keeping force in order to quell recent guerrilla rebels in the area. Several of my men had died tragically at the hands of these naves in recent years and we've been covertly repressing these rebellions in the Amazon. We are well within our rights to remain in the area, nothing more. That is the only question I'll answer that's in no relation to the tournament."

With his answer done, Heihachi looked to his golden wristwatch to see that time was nearly up, he gestured to Harada that the next question would be the last and soon enough a final reporter was chosen out of the audience.

"Will there be any former fighters re-entering the tournament?"

"Hmpf! Yes, we have a couple returning fighters and they are still as deadly as ever. Alright, that's your 5 minutes; any further questions can be relayed to my advisor once again and afterwards I'm sure you'll know the way out of here."

Heihachi turned and immediately strode off the stage to the sound of reporters imploring the CEO to stay on the podium and continue the conference. Having none of it, Mr. Mishima took his place between his security and the imposing bunch proceeded to leave the building. While begrudged by the ordeal of having to do the conference in the first place, Heihachi was still glad that it went by without any problems. The most important questions were answered and further excitement had been garnered for the tournament. Stories on Jin would most likely be on the cover of many magazines in the coming days; while they knew there was a general understanding that Heihachi had a grandson, for the three years that he'd been under his care, Jin had been kept out of the public eye and away from the limelight. With this huge introduction, Jin was going to be a huge selling point for the tournament, that was, until the real guest of honour came out of the shadows.

The head of the Zaibatsu and his accompanying security marched through the halls of the Mishima Financial building and made their way to a side entrance to the huge skyscraper where a personal limo was waiting for Heihachi. All the while, there was a chill going down Heihachi's spine for some reason, almost like a premonition for something. He couldn't put his finger on it and showed no sign of discomfort among his men. Then, as they walked out of the building and stepped into the sunlight of the morning, Heihachi felt a twinge on his right hand, somehow causing it to flex outwards with his palm open and looking up at him. As his eyes darted towards his hand in confusion, a droplet landed right in it; the droplet was a deep red. Mr. Mishima stared at it in wonder, completely perplexed by the strange circumstance on this red drop of liquid landing right in the palm of his hand, as if it was meant to this whole time. He slowly closed his fist and came to a stop, his security halting as well and unsure as to what had caused their CEO to stop just metres from his limousine. With his palm now clenched in a fist, Heihachi looked up to the heavens and transfixed his eyesight to the top of his building. His eyes narrowed in resolve and he quickly turned heel and walked though his men and back to the entrance.

"Mr. Mishima sir? Where are you going?" one of the guards called out to him.

"Remain here! I will be back shortly!" Heihachi commanded, without turning to address his men.

At a fast pace, Heihachi strode back into the Mishima Financial Building and reached the closest elevator to him. Once inside he punched the button for the very top floor and the elevator buzzed to life and brought him up to his desired floor. Nearly opening the elevator doors himself, Mr. Mishima burst out and made his way to the fire escape stairwell and proceeded further upwards. Right now he wasn't thinking about anything but reaching the top floor and finding what had brought this smear of liquid onto his hand. Well before now, Heihachi knew exactly what it was, it was blood and there had only been one time where blood had dropped down on him from above. Heihachi reached the final flight of stairs and kicked the door open with authority. He was now of the roof of the building and looked frantically around him, only to be greeted by the wind and the breathtaking view of Tokyo. To say Mr. Mishima was disappointed would be putting it lightly; his shoulders drooped and his brow furrowed at the sight of no one.

 _Dammit! I could have sworn…_

With a deflated huff, Heihachi turned back to the entrance to the roof top. Upon doing so, a shadow could be seen by the entrance and was slowly coming into focus. Heihachi slowly lifted his head upwards and stared with an open mouth at the figure he thought he saw before silently floating down towards him, as if gravity had no effect on it. The green humanoid that the head of the Zaibatsu had waited years to finally see again was finally back in sight and appearing directly before him. A smarm of unknown emotion resonated within the heart of the Mishima, both positive and negative. He felt in him a sense of purpose was appearing before him and it filled him with joy and jubilation at the sight of Ogre descending almost methodically from the heavens. Feelings of inner happiness could somehow be felt within Heihachi at this time but also there was something even more foreign now flowing within him. Fear. For one of the rarest times in his life, Heihachi was experiencing a sense of fear from Ogre coming down to him and it was a feeling that was practically alien to Mr. Mishima. Never could he remember feeling a fear like this, not even his fight with his son in the second tournament could equal this, for while he wasn't optimistic of the outcome, he wasn't afraid. But in this situation, in front of the God of Fighting itself, Heihachi felt a small part of him wanting to run for his life, a small part telling him that he isn't ready for this and a small part of him thinking that this could very well be the end.

Ogre's feet eventually touched the surface of the rooftop and the two stood a few metres apart from each other in a standstill. A gust of wind swept over the two figures; the long orange hair of Ogre carelessly frolicking in the up-drift and the magenta coat of Heihachi lifted slightly upwards as well. Not a word of spoken as the two stared the other down, and while Heihachi did indeed fear the humanoid before him, it didn't mean that he was going to run. The Mishima blood within him could be felt boiling in excitement and anticipation for what could come next.

"I suspect in your warm welcome that you are here to talk?" Heihachi asked, although he had a strong feeling that he wasn't going to get an answer out of Ogre anyway.

The green brute kept his eyes right on Heihachi's and slowly crossed his arms in a sign of impatience but also as an urge for Heihachi to continue speaking.

"Hmpf! It's obvious you're somehow pressed on time, but so am I so I'll make this quick. I know who you are and what you are. You're not from here, and by here I mean all of this."

Heihachi stretched his arms out to both sides of his body, gesturing to everything around him. He continued to talk, not expecting any interruption.

"You are here for some benign quest of destruction and you're looking for a little, shall we say, juice from the fighters who have gathered here. Well, I want to offer you a place in my little tournament, you'll have the best fighters on offer to you, such as my own grandson should you wish. You'd have to play by the rules however, this way you can further test your own abilities, abilities I'm sure that you haven't flexed for a while now. The whole world would witness the skill of a legendary fighter such as yourself and I wouldn't stand in your way either."

Ogre continued to eye the head of the Zaibatsu and while there was no real change in his facial expression, his head lowered ever to slightly inwards, as if intrigued by the prospect laid before him. Heihachi knew that the creature could understand human speech and he tell that the brute was listening intently. So far, Heihachi was hitting all the right buttons.

"So, what do you think? I know that this is something that you are indeed interested in, after-all, in the time when you last roamed the Earth, you have fought in the similar manner I'm laying out before you. You know you are the greatest fighter and you only wish to reaffirm this claim. To refuse would mean that you are not the God of Fighting as I've been lead to believe."

Heihachi could tell that he was striking a nerve at the brute as Ogre suddenly closed the distance between the two. He now stood less than 3 feet from Mr. Mishima and was glaring at him with a truly sinister look on his face. Heihachi's mouth felt dry at the uncomfortable closeness of the humanoid before him. He wanted to gulp and get some liquid back in his throat but fought the urge to do so. Now was not the time for showing weakness, after-all, such a word didn't belong in a Mishima's vocabulary. Still, he had never had a stand-off like this ever before. Any opponent worth their salt would be inclined to give a rebuttal back to Mr. Mishima but for a creature such as Ogre, retorts were verbally out of the question. His replies to Heihachi's knowledge would only be physical, and right now, the head of the Zaibatsu wasn't in the right place for a scuffle on a rooftop; especially with a being that can levitate.

However, gradually the menacing face of the green brute started to soften and a smirk could be made out on his face. Heihachi saw it as a sign of mutual understanding and more importantly, the desire to participate in the tournament.

 _That Chang woman was right all along…_ Heihachi thought to himself. He had been told by his captured informant that the nature of Ogre was to prove his superiority in fights such as the Tekken tournament. It fuelled the humanoid's mysterious ego but Heihachi could sense that it would not be the prime motivation for Ogre wanting to enter, something else was powering his drive for the fight and Mr. Mishima needed to know.

"It looks like we've reach an accord, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Hmpf! In that case, I expect you to be present at the Mishima Stadium on Monday evening, you'll know what to do there." Heihachi held his hand out to Ogre, "While I doubt I'll have your word, do I have your compliance instead?"

Ogre looked down to the hand stretched out before him, his expression was already cold and unreadable again and looked as if he was contemplating the true nature of the man before him. Ogre remembered the fight he had with his man several years ago, it was one that lead him to believe that the ultimate vessel was now out there and he would be ready to finally crush the inhabitants of this world and claim it for his forbearers. The old man was indeed powerful and showed the same unwavering brashness he had shown before. While fear could be seen in the man's eyes, the fear was accepted and used as a motivation to continue his defiance as if to prove himself wrong. Ogre knew that the old man had it out for him and would choose to be calculating instead of charging in blindly. Ogre would enjoy making this man suffer in the future to come.

Ogre's hand slowly rose up and grasped at the out-stretched hand of Mr. Mishima. The two held on in a tight grip and locked eyes in a stand-off to display their dominance over the other. Neither flinched, neither moved, and neither were inclined to be the first to let go. Ogre eventually loosened his grip and rescinded his hold on Heihachi's hand and the head of the Zaibatsu took notice and released as well. Ogre then turned and started to walk towards the edge of the building, but stopped when he heard the old man behind him.

"The boy with the long hair and the scar on his face. What is his purpose in all of this? What did you do to him?"

Ogre's head slowly turned to look at Mr. Mishima once more. He then turned back to the direction he was originally facing away from Heihachi and then pulled out a stone-edges knife from behind his back, in full view of Mr. Mishima. The knife looked uncleaned after a prior use as it's edges were coloured a faint red, presumably from the blood it drew. Heihachi could tell that this was the dagger used to give Himitsu the scar that now adorned his face. Its significance was paramount but Ogre's lips remained sealed, not divulging any further information.

Satisfied, Ogre re-sheathed the dagger and started to levitate off the ground. Heihachi watched the humanoid float weightlessly into the sky until Ogre disappeared into the scattered clouds above. He didn't know what to else to do at this point in time and instead felt rather stoic; getting Ogre to partake in the tournament had felt like an impossible task over a week ago and everyday he felt like the chances of finding the green brute was rapidly fading before his very eyes. This quick moment had changed everything, more questions were surfacing and Mr. Mishima was no closer to answering any of them just yet. With a deep intake of air and a slow exhale, Heihachi proceeded to the doorway and got off the rooftop of the Mishima Financial Building.

…

His hotel room had all its windows and curtains covered up as he slept in near darkness. The light of day ever so dimly glowed through the thick curtains and illuminated the area around him in an orangey-brown haze. He slept in the nude with one leg under the blanket and the around bent out on top of it. A pillow was held under his arm to slightly cover his stomach and his other hand was crocked under the pillow where his head rested to give him a little extra lift. His breathing was relaxed at this point in time as his dreams were finally calm and tranquil, however, it seemed like every time he slept he would have a nightmare first before he could sleep peacefully. His long and ridged black hair was in a tangle behind his head and stretched out to the remaining surface of the pillow while his soft, white strands were settled in front of his face, slowly moving in and out in time with his breathing.

Slowly, Himitsu started to stir from his slumber and his eyes gradually opened. He lay there for a minute as his thoughts moved away from his dream and into the present. In a short moment, he had forgotten what he had been dreaming about but could just faintly recall one instance of it which included a woman with long brown hair and a feather in it. Himitsu looked over to the bedside table where his barcode bracelet lay silent, so far it hadn't buzzed with the message of his next fight so the Lionheart figured that his bout would be on later in the day, still it was high time for him to get up anyway. Finally, he sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes to get rid of the grit around them. He then got off the bed and even thought he was in the buff, calmly stumbled over to the joining bathroom of his hotel room and got into the shower. He spent about 10 minutes simply standing under the warm water and letting his body gel and relax under the calming force of the water hitting his head and shoulders and moving down his body. Once collected, he started to apply shampoo to his hair and lathered it up, also using the suds on his body as well. He washed off the suds and then turned the shower off and picked up a nearby towel to dry himself off.

Exiting the bathroom, Himitsu walked over to the drawer he kept his clothes in. He had bought some new clothes to replace the ones that he sort-of ruined during his last night in Kagoshima. During the preliminaries he had decided to fight in his casual clothes as he had to move around the city to reach the fight's destinations. The first two fights were a complete cake-walk for the Lionheart and were both over in under a minute. While his two opponents were obviously well established martial artists, they had nothing to really bring to the table as Himitsu's incredible strength and determination made short work of the fighters he faced. His third and fourth fights were marginally more difficult however and it was during the third fight had his dark olive shirts was properly ripped. The third opponent was an Israeli woman who looked like a military personnel and was skilled in Krav Maga. While the fighter was able to land several hits at Himitsu and use her thin frame to avoid his powerful strikes, the Lionheart eventually sought to turn the women's skill in grappling against her and once in a clinch was able to land a few devastating knees to her gut and from that point on wore her down and eventually won the fight rather cleanly. His fourth opponent was a 7 foot tall man from Scotland who seemed to fight like a bar room brawler. The man was surprisingly quick for his size and hit like a tank with powerful haymakers and stiff kicks to match. His fighting style lacked a proper defence and Himitsu was constantly landing solid hits but the Scotsman would keep coming back for more and wouldn't go down for the count. Any hits that the man connected were brutally powerful and the man also spent a fair amount of the time tossing Himitsu around like a sack of potatoes; one time he threw Himitsu into a crowd of spectators, taking about 18 people with him to the ground. Still, the Lionheart persevered and eventually his deadly strikes reached the threshold of what the Scotsman could take and after a powerful combination of fists, one final uppercut lifted the man off into the air and he came down like a brick wall, ending the fight and securing Himitsu's fourth straight win.

Himitsu put on his clothes and started to leave the hotel. We wore a chrome silver windbreaker with the zipper undone and no shirt underneath, exposing his chest and abdominal. The windbreaker's sleeves were tightly rolled up to his elbows and on his forearms he wore his Tetsuwa iron bracelets and on his hands were some black and orange combat gloves with padding around the knuckles for protection and the fingers mainly exposed. He wore orange tracksuit pants with a black trim, matching his gloves and finally black, steel-capped boots. On his left wrist he wore the golden necklace with diamonds as a bracelet and on his right he wore the barcode bracelet he had received at the start of his registration into the tournament, still it hadn't alerted him of today's fight. After heading downstairs and having a late breakfast, Himitsu zipped up his windbreaker, pulled the hood of the jacket over his head and set off outside into Tokyo.

He didn't want to draw too much attention to himself as he conspicuously waltzed through the streets in search of any nearby fights. By now, the preliminaries were in their final day and many fighters had already been kicked out of the tournament with their unfortunate losses. Thanks to the early fights that he had, Himitsu had been able to skip a few rounds as according to the Tournament's rules, his skill level amongst the other combatant was too great to be wasted on lesser equals to him. Now that is was the last day, it seemed fitting that today he would fight in his final match-up and progress to the finals of the Tekken Tournament and compete against 15 other fighters for the title of Iron Fist Champion.

Himitsu spent a while moving through the streets of Tokyo and passing by the areas where he had previously fought, hoping that the areas would be used again for today's match-ups. Most of these areas were clear of anyone until he came up to a basketball courtyard in the rougher part of the huge city. A crowd had gathered there and were all circling around two men fighting in the space provided to them. On rooftops nearby, Himitsu could make out a contingent of Tekken Force soldiers scanning the perimeter for any potential threats while the fighters exchanged blows with each other. Himitsu made his way to the other side of a chain-link fence that blocked off the basketball court, for here he could not only make out the fighters but also who the crowd was mainly cheering for. The people who were gathered around had a predominant Caucasian presence and were cheering on their fellow countryman in the fight.

"PAUL! PAUL! PAUL! PAUL! PAUL! PAUL! PAUL!" The crowd bellowed in unison.

Himitsu looked over to the man they were cheering on and focused in on him. The man was a tall, blonde haired American that looked like he stood at the same height as Himitsu. His hair was styled into a flat top, and he had equally blonde sideburns and stubble as well. He wore a black, short-sleeved leather jumpsuit with a flaming skull on the back of it and a white t-shirt underneath. His jumpsuit pants had flames on both legs and he wore black boots. He had black shoulder pads as well as matching knee pads and on his hands he wore black studded, fingerless gloves. The man looked like a straight-up martial artist with knowledge in judo as well. At this point in time, Paul was going toe-to-toe with his opponent who was a man from the Ukraine who fought in the fighting style of Combat Hopak which is a traditional Ukrainian form of fighting. Both men were at times trading blows equally and then would become defensive and look for signs of weakness in the other. Paul wanting to finish off this fight, lunged at the Ukrainian with a combo that saw Paul launch into the air with two jumping kicks in mid-air and once he landed, he finished with a spinning high kick to the temple. The first two kicks were blocked by the Ukrainian and the third kick was ducked under. Now with an opening, a swift uppercut collected Paul's chin and launched him backwards, hitting the ground hard.

The crowd winced at the impact but Paul didn't seem too worse for wear as he almost immediately sat up and rubbed his chin in discomfort. However, the Ukrainian wasn't done there; he quickly ran at the downed Phoenix and tackled him back into the floor and started to wail punch after punch right at Paul's face. Luckily, Paul had his hands free and instinctively shielded his face to weather the blows.

"I could stay down here for fucking days my Russian friend!" Paul yelled, taunted to man above him.

"I TOLD YOU, I'M NOT RUSSIAN!" the Ukrainian yelled back.

Visibly agitated, the Ukrainian opted out of punching and instead locked his hands together and unleashed consecutive hammer fists to the arms of Paul, hoping to crush them. Paul finally saw his opening as the man above pulled his hands too far back. In a quick motion, Paul got one of his legs under the Ukrainian and flipped him over his head with a Foot Launch. Both men, quickly got back to their feet and the fight continued. However, the Ukrainian was notably unfocused and charged in recklessly at Paul who was ready for such an occurrence. The man threw a vicious right hook punch at Paul's head but missed as the Hot-blooded martial artist Swayed backward, just narrowly avoided the fist that sail in front of his face. Paul then countered with a spinning low kick and followed with an elbow striker to the Ukrainian's jaw, effectively rocking the man before him. Paul finished the counter-attack with a crouching uppercut known as Stone Breaker. The Ukrainian did a front flip from the impact and then up on his back.

The crowd started to cheer loudly at Paul's resurgence and now clear upper-hand, his opponent clumsily got back onto his feet and stumbled at Paul with several swinging punches that right now were more like flailing arms. Paul quite easily brushed the attacks away from him and then grabbed hold of the Ukrainian and performed an articulated shoulder check that pushed his opponent away and onto the floor once again.

"You should give up bub, you're up against the toughest fighter in the universe after-all." Paul chimed at his opponent who once more, slowly rose to his feet.

"Koorvya Mat!" the Ukrainian spat back in his native tongue as he rushed back at Paul.

Paul's smirked at the man running towards him and proceeded to finish off the fight with his trademark Pheonix Smasher, a very powerful vertical right handed punch which blasted the Ukrainian away like he was caught in an explosion. The man was launched right into the chain-link fence where Himitsu was standing and nearly broke it from the force. The fallen foe sat at the base of the fence slumped over and unconscious with Paul dusting his hands off and raising his fist in victory as the crowd around him roared and cheered the fan favourite. An adjudicator for the fight came over to the victorious Paul and held his already raised fist in the air and addressed the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Your winner and into the final 16 of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3, PAUL PHEONIX!"

The crowd roared in applause once again with Paul beaming from ear to ear. A member from the crowd came forward and patted Paul on the back with Paul turning to give the man a thumbs-up.

"Whatta ya think Forest? Not a bad fighter for a Russian am I right? Hahahahaha!" said Paul to his friend as the two started to walk away from the court side by side.

"I'm pretty the guy was from the Ukraine Paul, he said so about twenty times during your match." Replied Forest, passing a hand through his messy bob-cut and rolling his eyes.

"Oh? What's the difference? HAHAHAHAHAHA! Don't worry about that ass-hat; besides, you've got your final fight coming up as well in a few right?"

"Yeah, it'll be on in an hour's time. Should make it there well beforehand."

"Well, Forest my pal, I don't think I'll need to repeat myself and say how right I was in us entering this tournament. Shame your pops couldn't grow a spine and come along."

"Don't remind me about my dad, Paul. This is my tournament to make a name for myself, I'm not here to be just referred to as 'Marshall's son'."

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!" Paul placed a hand on Forest's shoulder and gave a squeeze, "Don't worry about that, right now you're only known as Paul's good friend. Now, let's get to your fight!"

Himitsu watched as the two men walked away and through the crowd, not taking much notice of the people around them. They both looked like highly capable fighters and would definitely be a pair to watch out for in the upcoming tournament. The crowd either followed the two men, trying to get a picture or an autograph or simply went their own ways to other parts of Tokyo. Then Himitsu felt a vibration on his right hand and noticed the barcode bracelet beeping. On the screen was an address and a time, Himitsu finally had his fight scheduled and had 3 worthwhile hours to make his way to the destination and prepare. With a crack of his knuckles, Himitsu set off for the district of Saitama where his fight would take place.

Passing through the streets, most stores and vendors were filled with items and/or promotions for the Tournament. Merchandise for the known fighters competing were already on display, showing off fighters like Paul Phoenix, Mr. Mishima, a man with a jaguar mask and two slim women; one with blonde hair and the other with brown.

Deciding he had time to waste, Himitsu went to find a quiet place nearby the area he would be fighting in and take some time to meditate. In Saitama, there was a garden rooftop on one of the building complexes nearby. Himitsu made his way up the building and into the garden, despite there being no permitted entry at the time. The rooftop was quiet and the sounds of the traffic beneath were lost in the gentle breeze that travelled through the small patch of Eden that Himitsu stood in. There were no actual cherry blossom trees in this garden, leaving Himitsu to instead sit under a Willow tree that took up the centre of the rooftop. His breathing started to become controlled and his muscles un-tensed and went soft under the serene conditions of the environment around him. Himitsu's mind eventually started to fester and wander around the depths of his subconscious as his meditation started to take proper form. His thoughts were initially of the same thing he saw in almost all of his dreams and in his prior meditations. A huge giant figure could be made out in the darkness and Himitsu felt himself being pulled towards it. As he drew closer, red orbs started to appear, like piercing eyes that stared straight at the Lionheart. So many times before, at the moments the orbs were everywhere and would strike out at him, Himitsu would either snap out of his trance or wake up from his slumber. This time however, while he was just as frightened of the experience, this time, Himitsu was willing to face this fear head on and ride the wave of his vision further in.

Before long, as he got ever closer to the giant, the red orbs had covered practically any capacity of space around Himitsu and at that point with the sound of slithering vipers, lunged right at Himitsu. Red covered everything for the Lionheart was he felt his body spiralling around and around at a rapid pace and hearing nothing but a high tone, ringing in his ears at the highest frequency. The feeling as almost maddening for the Lionheart but Himitsu held-on and refused to be pulled out of his meditation. He needed to know what this figure was in the darkest pits of his mind, especially if he was to ever get rid of it.

Gradually, the red that flooded his vision had started to exasperate and the ringing in his ears began to die down. Before long, everything was dark around him once more, a darkness that was infused with dark green and gold slithers running around the edge of his sight. For Himitsu, he felt like he was back at the start of his vision, at least that was, until he started to hear the faint sounds of a chant being recited. The sound seemed to not come from one direction or all of them, instead the sound reverberated around Himitsu and at different times could be heard at different places in the abyss. The chanting, while faint, was actually recognisable. It reminded Himitsu of the night he last saw his mother in Yakushima, the fire, the pain, the knife. Ogre had definitely planted something inside of Himitsu and even at this point, he had no idea what it was. The only explanation he had was from Sensei Nikibo.

 _Evil…_

Himitsu's eyes snapped open and he was back in the garden. He took a look at the barcode bracelet and saw that his match was on in less than an hour. He silently cursed as he realised that he wouldn't have enough time to perform a proper warm-up. With a shake of his head, Himitsu took to his feet and quickly left the rooftop garden and made his way now towards his match.

It didn't take long for Himitsu to reach his destination and the crowd that were start to mass around the fighting circle was a clear giveaway on where he needed to be. A well-spaced out courtyard in the middle of Saitama would be the place for the fight and Tekken Force soldiers could be seen on the rooftops nearby, surveying the area and keeping an eye out for any irregularities that could take place. Himitsu had taken notice over the course of the week that there were more soldiers at his fights than any other that he watched, the reason being was only guesses to him at this point but Heihachi definitely seemed involved in it. The Lionheart carefully moved through the crowds, the further in he got, the more the people around him started to recognise him.

"Hey- HEY! It's the guy! Himitsu!" one person from the crowd yell out as Himitsu walked past.

People started to clap and chant for Himitsu as he finally made his walk through the crowd and made his way to the adjudicator in the empty centre of the courtyard with enough space to run around. Himitsu immediately acknowledged the man standing there.

"Hello, I'm here for my match." Said Himitsu, holding up the barcode bracelet.

The adjudicator held up a tiny scanner and flashed it over the bracelet and a sound of verification could be heard.

"Welcome to your final preliminary fight Mr. Himitsu." Said the adjudicator, "Winning this fight will have you put into the final 16."

"Awesome." Himitsu replied nonchalantly. "Who's my opponent?"

"On the way, I'm sure."

Himitsu looked away from the man and started to scan the crowd, trying to make any familiar faces out or try to find out who his opponent might be. The edges where the crowd could stand had a couple Tekken Force soldiers on the perimeter, keeping the audience at bay so as to not interfere. The sea of faces were largely unrecognisable as Himitsu looked around, until his eyesight fixed on one of the women in the audience. The woman had blonde hair, tied into a simple ponytail. She wore a sleeveless maroon crop top and tight black leather pants with matching black stilettos. The most striking thing about her were her eyes; they seemed to be going between an icy blue to a misty grey colour constantly and at times, two other colours would flicker in for the faintest second. The woman definitely seemed recognisable to Himitsu but he couldn't think of where he had seen her from before. He was about to walk over to the woman until the sound of commotion came from behind him.

Himitsu spun around to see the crowd in a mixture of cheering and almost terror. Two figures eventually made their way through the audience as the crowd immediately moved around the two to let them through. From out of the crowd came a girl in her school uniform with her hair tied into pig tails and a panda bear accompanying her. Himitsu looked at the girl and could definitely remember this person, her name on the tip of his tongue.

"Oh… hey, umm… you're, uh, y-… Wait! Little Xiao!" said Himitsu, who snapped his fingers as the name came to him.

"Oh, hi Himitsu!" Xiaoyu replied, a spring in her step and her walked over to the Lionheart.

The two looked at each other with a smile on both their faces. There was a sense of understanding and comradery between the two, no matter how short their first and only interaction with the other was. Still, they knew each other well enough and had a mixture of respect and envy as they greeted one another. Then Himitsu's mood hardened up a little as he remembered what he was doing here, he had a fight to win.

"So I guess it comes down to the two of us then." Himitsu exclaimed as he pulled off his hoodie, un-zipped his windbreaker and cracked his knuckles.

Xiaoyu looked at Himitsu with confusion on her face, her eyes squinting and her lips curling in question, "What? What do you mean the two of us?"

"Y-you're in the tournament right?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well obviously only one of us can only get through the finals, so let's do this."

"Oh! Oh, no actually I'm already through."

"…what?"

Now Himitsu was utterly confused.

"W…what do you mean by you're already through?" he asked carefully to the pig-tailed girl.

"I'm through to the finals already, duh! Hahahaha, just won my match about 4 hours ago."

"Then why are you here?"

"I brought my friend here to fight, she's the one you'll be facing."

Himitsu scanned through the crowd once again to find anyone sticking out, he even looked back to where the blonde woman was standing and she was no longer to be seen. Himitsu eventually looked back at Xiaoyu.

"I don't see anyone else here, little Xiao. Who's this 'friend' of yours?" Himitsu questioned impatiently.

"Why Panda of course, silly!" replied Xiaoyu emphatically.

 _P-panda?_ Himitsu thought to himself as he looked towards the bear. As if the time couldn't have been more perfect, Himitsu clearly saw the adjudicator scan the barcode bracelet on Panda's right paw, just resting over the orange neon band that she had on. Himitsu stared in utter disbelief as the bear had a stretch and then proceeded to stand in front of Himitsu, paws at its sides and on her hind legs.

The adjudicator was already addressing the crowd at this point, "Ladies and gentlemen in attendance. Today's Preliminary match is about to begin between the Okinawan Martial Artist known as Himitsu who will be taking on the only bear to be trained outside of the Kuma family by Heihachi Mishima himself, Panda! Fighters, take your places!"

The crowd started to cheer as Himitsu continued to look on with a blank face at what was transpiring in front of him. Panda, gave a little shake of her body and held a paw up to Xiaoyu who was cheering Panda on as well. Himitsu on the other hand was not getting any of this, nor was he going to stand there and let it happen.

"HEY!" he yelled to the adjudicator, "What the hell is this? Why am I supposed to fight a fucking bear for?!"

The man looked at the Lionheart like he was the only weird one there, "Panda is a registered fighter in this Tournament Mr. Himitsu and will be your opponent today. Only one of you will continue on to the final 16 of the Tekken Tournament, take your place."

"I am NOT fighting a fucking panda bear!" Himitsu spat back.

"On what grounds?"

"On what g-… IT'S A FUCKING PANDA BEAR!"

The crowd had started to quieten down from listening to Himitsu fire away at the ref. They too looked at Himitsu like he was the only weird person there. The adjudicator looked clearly unamused by the tirade.

"Listen here Mr. Himitsu. We have had bears fighting in this Tournament since the inaugural. We have had Boxing Kangaroos, Robots and even a Dinosaur. As long as the combatant has a clear fighting style and can handle common sense in an official tournament, they are permitted entry. As a fighter yourself, you should be aware of such things in this Tournament. Now, are you going to participate, or do you forfeit?"

Himitsu straightened up and held his tongue. The whole idea of having to fight a 9-foot-tall panda wasn't at all an enticing suggestion to come across. To top it off, it would be the only way he'd make it to the finals. It seemed like Himitsu didn't really have a choice in arguing the matter any further. With a casual roll of his shoulders, Himitsu flicked his white hair out from over his eye and took to his fighting stance; one of his hands being clenched tightly and the other held open like a knife.

"Alright, come get some!" he snarled at the ursine.

"Urrrghhr!" Panda responded, her eyes set straight for the Lionheart.

The crowd grew back into a frenzy of chanting and cheering for either fighter as the adjudicator signalled for the fight to officially begin.

"Ready...FIGHT!"

Panda launched in on the offensive, swinging its paws upwards at Himitsu in the form of Uppercuts, all of which were blocked by the Lionheart rather expertly. Himitsu tried to respond with a snapping kick to Panda's leg but the kick wasn't able to get a solid impact on the bear's leg and Panda would then counter with three Hammer strikes. As much was Himitsu tried to block the blows, Panda's swinging paws ended up planting the Lionheart on the ground with the third powerful hit.

"Shit!" Himitsu cursed under his breath as he looked up off the floor to see panda perform a sliding dropkick to his face. In the smallest of chances, Himitsu was able to quickly roll out of the way of Panda's hind legs rushing in to collect his skull.

Himitsu got back to his feet and focused in on his opponent; this was without a doubt, an entirely new experience for him, to have to fight an actual bear in a fighting tournament. There was really not joking around that was to date going to be his toughest fight. The bear clearly had some intelligence about her and while wild in her attacks, they were not sporadic and instead felt like they were from an actual degree of Martial Arts. All this lead to one conclusion; if he was going to beat this panda, it was going to be a massive effort on Himitsu's behalf.

Panda rushed right at Himitsu, looking to waste no time. Himitsu ducked under two swinging right paw swipes and sidestepped the third, downward strike from the ursine. With a clear opening, Himitsu landed a swift combination of body strikes to Panda and finished with an outwards sweeping head kick, completing his Chinto Rush. Panda was forced backwards in a stagger but didn't show any signs of injury from the combination. Himitsu figured as much and went on the offensive, charging at Panda and starting to land multiple vertical fists and snapping kicks to the ursine. Panda was able to either block or weather the blows that rained down of her as her was forced further and further back. The crowd cheered wildly at the amazing display of power and fearlessness from Himitsu as he continued the onslaught, making sure not to give Panda any opening.

"Come on Panda, don't give up! You can do it!" Xiaoyu yelled from one side of the crowd.

Hearing her mistress' voice, Panda felt a spark of courage in her and quickly caught on of Himitsu's fist in one of her paws. Himitsu tried to respond of a sharp kick to Panda's side, but that was brushed off like it was nothing. Panda then grabbed hold of Himitsu's neck and abruptly picked him up and proceed to choke slam him into the concrete ground. Himitsu let out of loud groan of pain and his back slammed into the hard floor beneath him, but that was the least of his worries as he watched in terror and Panda leapt into the air and slammed into Himitsu's stomach with a sitting Pancake Press. All the air left Himitsu's body in a guttural scream and quickly lost all sound to it after all the air expelled out of Himitsu's lungs. He felt like his ribs had been shattered from the hit and he almost slipped out of consciousness. Panda casually rolled forward and off of Himitsu's body and looked at the Lionheart gasp for whatever air he could find on his vicinity. The adjudicator looked towards Himitsu and after a quick inspection to see if he was able to get to his feet, he addressed the crowd.

"Round 1 in this fight goes to Panda!" the man yelled to the audience who started to cheer for the bear, "Should Himitsu be unable to stand in the next half minute, he will be deemed unable to compete and Panda will take the victory!"

Panda started to prance around the empty fighting circle to the sounds of the excited crowd with paws on her sides and skipped backwards. The sounds of her hind legs bounding off the ground hit Himitsu's ears like a jackhammer as he pulled himself off the ground. He gradually steadied his breathing and got to his feet, much to the crowd's delight and got back into his fighting stance. Panda stopped prancing about and got back into hers with the look of victory in her large beady eyes as the two stared at one another with deep focus. The adjudicator went back into the middle of the two fighters and signalled for the second round to begin.

"Ready...FIGHT!"

A straight jab came from Panda and as immediately parried by Himitsu who threw in a powerful jab of his own, this one connecting sweetly and knocking Panda back a step. Himitsu kept up the pressure by advancing with a quick combination of one-two punches followed by an alternating left or right low kick. The One-two Low kick kept Panda defences up as she was forced further and further back from the centre of the fighting circle. However, Panda broke through the endless combination with a Leaping Attack, crashing her body through the attack and into Himitsu, knocking him back. Panda attempted to get into the offensive with a powerful Grizzly Claw strike, her right paw lunging at incredible force at Himitsu's chest. Himitsu was able to just in time sidestep the attack and was able to knock Panda away with a deadly high snapping Right Kick. Panda was knocked aside and off her feet which prompted a huge pop from the audience watching around them. The crowd shook like they were wild, at awe at the display of strength coming from the Lionheart with people starting to believe that Xiaoyu's protector was going to lose this fight.

"Come on Panda, you can still win this!" Xiaoyu called from amongst the crowd.

"Rrraurrrrh…!" Panda roared, determination surging in her eyes.

The Ursine got back into the match with a double claw strike from off the ground, the attack caught an advancing Himitsu off guard and knocked him backwards. Panda quickly performed a forward roll and got on all fours in her Hunting stance in front of Himitsu and then shot him high up into the air with a rising double paw uppercut called Bear fling. The violent attack blasted Himitsu off the ground and caused him to tumble through the air like a rag doll.

"Aaaaarghh!" Himitsu cried in pain as he soared up into the air down to the ground with a terrible splat.

The concrete beneath him cracked was he crashed back to earth. Gasps from all around could be heard from the gobsmacked crowd, all looking at the clearly rocked Himitsu wincing in pain from the ugly drop. His muscles felt soft and like putty, his breathing was thin and his bones felt like they were being grinded to powder. He craned his neck up off the floor to see Panda upstanding and situated a couple feet from him. Her paws were raised up and out wide and a roar could be heard from her. Panda then swung inwards and down with both her paws and followed through with the attack, ending up in a very quick forward roll. The force of her attack had caused her to spin rapidly and right towards Himitsu's body like a speeding vehicle.

Himitsu thoughts went into a rapid spin of its own and time felt like it had slowed down into a crawl. Himitsu's eyes remained fixed on the slowly rotating body of Panda as her attack inched towards him at a snail's pace. In his incredibly long second, thoughts went across the Lionheart's mind. Was he going to lose? Was he truly unable to stand amongst the best in this tournament and fight to its finals? How had he let a panda bear get the better of him? While the first two questions were unknown to him, the third could be solved at least. He realised that he had truly underestimated the skill of an animal compared to himself, thinking that he was the only true beast in this tournament, his first victories had been easy up til the one prior, he decimated the 20 Buster hangout all on his own and had achieved a Dan status in a form of Karate in the span of a few months. Right now, he's not fighting like that man. For once, his feet weren't walking forward. He was stuck and not doing what he knows best; continuing onwards.

Himitsu's mind snapped back into focus and determination of his own swelled within him like a raging inferno. He gritted his teeth as Panda's Rolling Bear attack came upon him and tucked his legs inwards. When the perfect time came, Himitsu kicked outwards and knocked Panda's spinning body up and over him, causing Panda to almost collide with the crowd. People screamed and got out of the way as Panda came to a crash in between a group of the audience. Luckily, on one was hurt as the people around Panda got out of the way just in time. Panda got back onto her feet with a shake of her fur and looked towards Himitsu who leapt off his back and onto his feet with grace and technique. The Lionheart spun his heard around to face Panda with a look that said that he was ready. He slammed his foot forward and into the pavement with a crack as he got into his fighting stance with the demeanour of a true fighter, nothing but the word focus being plastered on his face.

"Let's go!" Himitsu yelled at the ursine, a spark of white lightning shot up from his feet and surged over his head.

Murmurs rang across the crowd and an uproar of cheers and chant rose from all around. Everyone gathered there was fully into the fight now, fans had even gotten into the surrounding buildings to get a proper look at the match, clearly one of the most entertaining so far. Panda reciprocated the challenge and gave over a serious growl of anticipation and advanced into the battle with a Demon Uppercut, with Himitsu blocking over and weathering the hit. Panda would continue her attack with a string of Rushing Uppercuts which caused Himitsu to stay on the defensive by parrying the blows. Continuous left and right uppers soared at Himitsu's face, only missing him by inches as he kept moving back to create space. Panda would then change up her attacks and started attacking from down low with a swinging Hammer Fist Rush combo. Himitsu was put into a low blocking stance as the sweeping paws aimed at cutting his legs clean off like an axe. The low sweeps would then move into low rising uppercuts and then restart the combo with a low sweeping paw. Himitsu kept getting forced back until he was approaching the crowd himself which was when Panda came back up and attacked with a barrage of windmill punches. The swinging haymakers were blocked once again by Himitsu, the paws connecting with his Tetsuwa bracelets with a loud clanging sound. Himitsu's forearms felt raw by the end of the combo as Panda struck out with a fierce back fist. Luckily, the Lionheart was prepared for the attack and expertly ducked under the back fist and countered with a powerful left uppercut called Wind Tempest Fist. White lightning fizzled around the left vertical uppercut as the attack collected Panda and launched her upwards. Himitsu would keep the ursine caught in the air with two strong roundhouse kicks and then sent Panda flying away with a quick dash into her and following with a monstrous left hand lunging jab. The attack which the Lionheart called the Raion no ken sent Panda crashing away and into the concrete hard. Louder gasps resonated around the fight as the crowd was in disbelief at the incredible comeback. Panda lay heaving on the ground and couldn't get up in time for the adjudicator.

"Round 2 goes to Himitsu!" the man yelled, holding up an arm towards the Lionheart.

The crowd went into a wild cheer for Himitsu who stood still, still in the stance of the Raion no ken and breathing heavily. His body felt like it was tingling with a mixture of excitement and bloodlust. He was feeling the same way he did when he was fighting the last members of the Buster 20 gang; his blood felt like it was boiling with adrenaline, putting him into a frenzy that he felt like he wasn't going to be able to contain. Slowly he retracted his fist and remained in a relaxed side-on stance at Panda who was now getting back to her feet, Xiaoyu giving her further words of encouragement.

"You can still win Panda, don't give up! I believe in you!" Xiaoyu yelled over to her protector.

Panda looked at her mistress and nodded silently. She regained her footing and gave herself a few slaps to her face to recompose herself and shake off her cobwebs. She then went into a front facing stance with paws held bent and under her sides. Then came out two kata style fists, ending in a side on position with on paw held up and in front of her face with her other held at her side. Her stance looked much like the stance that you would perform as a student of the Mishima Ryu fighting style, primarily because the Kuma Shinken was tailored as the bear variant of Heihachi's style of Karate. Panda held her stance as Himitsu got back into his, the frenzy was at the brim of the cup now and threatening to overflow for the Lionheart, but Himitsu contained his flying emotions and prepared himself for the final round. The adjudicator looked to both fighters to make sure they were ready and then re-started the match.

"Final round…FIGHT!" the man yelled out.

Both Himitsu and Panda exchanged powerful blows, their attack filled with purpose and intent to leave their opponent in a hospital bed as the two fighters battled for supremacy. Panda's swinging bombs were grazed off by the Lionheart as he himself sent through vicious and quick combinations, meeting Panda in the assertion of dominance in the match-up. Himitsu started to end up on the offensive as his attacks out-sped Panda and put her back on the defensive. Himitsu then came in with his Crippler combination in an attempt to break through Panda's guard. The low sweeping left kick was able to knock Panda to a knee with the devastating overhead chop was just blocked off by the ursine but ended up bringing her to both her knees. However, just before Himitsu could finally wear down his massive opponent, Panda used the pressure of the chop to rise back up with a powerful rising double paw uppercut. The attack launched Himitsu into the air who was collected and flung aside just before he hit the ground by a crushing low right hook from Panda called the Salmon Hunter. Like a fish itself, Himitsu was knocked away and sent reeling.

Somehow Himitsu was still conscious but his vision was in doubles at this point. He clumsily got back onto his feet and saw three black and white blobs come towards him. The next thing he knew, he was scooped up by the ursine and placed into a Bear Hug. Himitsu's eyesight came back into focus as he felt his entire upper body being squashing in on itself, causing him to wail in agony.

"NNNNAAAAAARRRRGH…!"

The sounds of the crowd started to become drowned out as the lack of air was causing Himitsu to go dizzy once more. Under the pressure of Panda's massive arms squeezing him tightly, the Lionheart could feel himself starting to blackout, his world starting to spin.

 _No! You're not going out like this! Fight back! Do everything! Anything! You have to win and you must! There is NO alternative! FIGHT!_

The Lionheart's eyes shot back open with the frenzy no longer in check. Himitsu wriggled his arms free from Panda's hold and started to strike her repeatedly in the face with Double Fisted Punches. Panda winced and cried in pain as the hit cruelly battered her face in, forcing her to let go. Himitsu dropped to the ground and went right into a brutal string of hits. The menacing combination hit like earthquakes as Panda was unable to weather the hits for long. Himitsu roared out a terrifying battle cry as he continued to launch punishing fists and kick into the body and head of the ursine, the crowd feeling a hint of worry by how brutal the attacks were. Panda got knocked back and started to tumble backwards from another Raion no ken but was able to regain her footing. Himitsu rushed into Panda with a Leaping side kick but the attack was successfully sidestepped, giving Panda an opening. Her grabbed onto Himitsu's head and rushed her own head in for a Headbutt. The hit was successful and sent Himitsu into a brief daze which gave Panda the opportunity to capitalise and a strong front kick, launching Himitsu away.

"Urr…Urr…Urr…" came the heavy breathes from Xiaoyu's protector and she focused in on her deadly opponent.

Panda had her fur all ruffled and dusty at this point; one of her eyes was a bit swollen, she had some visible bruises on her body and her arms felt like they weighed a tonne each. Himitsu meanwhile had only a few minor cuts and grazes on his body to take notice of as he stood back up and raised his fists for more, ready to finish this fight. Panda knew that it was now or never to come back into this fight and started to run on all fours towards the Lionheart, just before the point of contact, Panda got up on her hind legs and rushed in with a huge Shoulder Tackle.

"oooOOOOOAARRRHH!"

A mighty yell came from Himitsu as he performed a Dibaingado, a block known exclusively to the Isshin Ryu fighting style. The reversal completely halted Panda's approach as Himitsu's front foot rammed into the ground in front of him and his arms came up and completely neutralised the Shoulder Tackle. Panda was left in a stagger, leaving her wide open for a counter. Himitsu changed into his Seiunchin stance and unleashed a brutal onslaught of punches, each hitting its mark with great efficiency. The Seiunchin Rush didn't last long, but it left a lasting impression on the crowd as the final attack, a powerful rising palm thrust flipped Panda over and backwards, landing on the ground with a thud. The crowd looked expectedly over to Panda who was too tired to continue fighting.

The fight was over.

The adjudicator couldn't move from where he stood, his mouth was open and quivering from the last incredible moments of the match. Himitsu was once again locked in his final attacking stance, his left palm stuck outwards and slightly bent. His eyes were piercing and still focused on the fallen ursine whose chest heaved up and down as Panda kept drawing in breaths.

The adjudicator finally found his voice and spoke, "The winner…and…onto to the final 16 is…HIMITSU!"

The crowd suddenly broke into applause, their cheering as at first was scattered and laced with disbelief over what they had just seen, but it was soon outstanding for the victorious competitor. Himitsu still had not moved, he had heard the announcement from the adjudicator but the message hadn't quite gotten through to the Lionheart. His eyes were still fixed on Panda, who had now started to slowly sit up. As their eyes met, Panda yelped in fear at what she saw, Himitsu's eyes went completely black, a black so dark that it seemed like she was staring into the void. Himitsu suddenly gritted his teeth and flashed a wicked smirk as a faint flash of red went over his eyes. He swiftly leapt up into the air and landed in front of Panda and attacked with a Kirachoppu. Panda wailed in pain from the vicious blow as Himitsu raised his hand again to deliver another powerful chop with malice.

"STOP!"

Xiaoyu leapt right in-between Himitsu and Panda to protect her friend from any further damage, causing Himitsu to stop and hesitate. His eyes had already returned to normal and he had quickly realised what he had done. He was immediately filled with shame for what he had just done after the fight, this was completely unacceptable and he knew it.

"I…uh…shit. I'm sorry… That, well… that shouldn't happen, I deeply apologise…" said Himitsu with remorse in his tone.

Xiaoyu stood silent as she held her arms out wide, still cautious of the man standing in front of her. Her early impressions of Himitsu had deflated at the end of the match, now she herself had doubt about Himitsu's intention in this tournament as this definitely wasn't something that she was alright with. Panda needed attention immediately and the Lionheart knew this all too well also.

"Excuse me sir, can you have the Zaibatsu fetch any medical staff to treat the panda?" Himitsu asked the adjudicator.

"Already on the way," the man replied, "as for you; I suggest you leave for your hotel."

Not waiting to be told twice, Himitsu quickly left the courtyard, strongly walking through the crowd that was still there. _What the fuck happened back there?_ He thought to himself as he continued to trudge past the people gathered in the courtyard and before long was back in the streets with his windbreaker zipped up and his hoodie over his head. He moved through the people of the city like a shadow; silent and unnoticed. Dark thoughts circled his mind as he continued onwards, not sure what to make of today.

 _Evil…_

The words of Sensei Nikibo was stuck in his mind and could not be shaken. If there were any doubts as to the intentions of this thing inside him, Himitsu knew for sure now. This was just one more thing for the Lionheart to have to fight for; not only would he be fighting to free his mother from Ogre, not only would he be saving Jin from falling to Ogre, but he was going to make Ogre get rid of whatever he put inside him 3 years ago. He would have the humanoid expel this evil within him, no matter how brutal his methods of persuasion must be for Ogre to comply. The Sensei's premonition about either him or Jin dying at the conclusion of this tournament was still in Himitsu's mind also but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to tempt fate. Himitsu would fight to save his family, a family that he was very much a part of and still needed in his life. He and Jin could be brothers still and Jun could remain their loving mother. The image of the three of them happy and safe together was the only ray of sunlight in Himitsu's very bleak life. It was his motivation and he would continue to walk forward, to fulfil his goals and aspirations and have his family together once more. Himitsu moved through the city, unnoticed and unseen, the final 16 is all that awaits him now.

* * *

(Hasn't it been a while? Finally, Chapter 26 is done and dusted. I had thought about splitting it into two separate chapters but ultimately decided to have it stick together. Had I actually released this chapter in two bits, chapter 26 could have been out over a week ago maybe... ah well, no harm no foul. The 16 have been decided and the real competition awaits. Enjoy!)


	27. Dueling Motivations

Chapter 27 – Duelling Motivations

"It's gotta be her." Said a confident Lei, viewing the security footage.

"Honestly, for a bimbo like her with her mind all up to shit, she still has some sense of fashion despite how out of date she is." Replied Anna, casually standing behind Lei with a visibly agitated expression on her face.

The two were looking through the recordings of the preliminaries and footage from its final day had revealed Anna's sister to them. This was the only indication of her presence for this tournament, however, there was so far no sign of her entering the tournament at all and it was getting on Anna's nerves.

"The fuck's her game?! She's not even made an attempt to infiltrate this shit! What a waste of my time!" Anna screamed as she started pacing around the dark room with a temper.

"Gee, relax would ya?" pipped in Lei, "The fact that she's here is good, we have a better chance of tracking her movements."

"This isn't some little game of hide-and-seek you dumbass! Memories or no memories, she's still on a mission to kill that old man's grandkid. She'll be almost impossible to find if she's not physically IN the tournament. And worst off, I'm stuck here having to compete as well as being forced to hang around with you!"

"Wow, ok then." Said Lei, rolling his eyes.

Anne quickly stood over Lei with her arms crossed over her chest, "Don't think for a second that I've been enjoying this little partnership, you got that? I'm here to get my sister and that's all! You can worry about your zombie robot friend for all I care, I meanwhile have MY mission to complete."

"Oh really? And what exactly would that be? I mean, you want to find your sister but what's going to happen when you do? What's your goal in all this? After-all, you hate her don't you?"

"Of course I hate that bitch!" replied Anna as she walked around to the other side of the desk, opposite Lei, "My reasons for finding her however are mine alone, and you're not going to know jack about my intentions."

"Hahaha, don't count me out so easily, they don't call me the Hong Kong Super Cop for nothing, you know. I'm sure I can deduce your motivations in this all by myself."

"Bullshit. You couldn't figure me out even if you tried," said Anna, who was now leaning inwards and resting her palms on the desk, "you're too much of a weasel to figure what goes on in my mind, hun."

At this position, Lei was starting to get a good view of Anna's cleavage, causing sweat to form on the Super Cop's brow as he strained himself not to ogle. Anna could pick up on how uncomfortable he was at this moment and was enjoying it. Getting the better of the male species was a favourite past-time for her and it just proved how good she was at how she handled her profession.

"L-l-let's just not worry too much about this right now. We gotta send a report over to Mr. Mishima about your sister's sighting." Said Lei, hoping to back out of their present subject of conversation for a while.

"Chicken." Anna muttered in a hushed tone, "What about your robot friend? No sign of him at all from what I've seen."

"Don't even begin to talk about that. I think I'm the one wasting his time here to be honest with you. Why on Earth would Bryan want to participate in this tournament just to kill one of the competitors is beyond me, his motives just don't make any sense. By the way, out of you and your sister, who won in the first tournament?"

"The bitch won in the first tournament, I got her in the second."

"Hmm…" mulled Lei to himself.

With enough time to collect his thoughts and Anna moving from the front of the desk, the Super Cop's detective mind was able to loosen and his brain was now coming up with multiple hypothesises over Anna's own motive. Thing were starting to click.

"So, how did you beat her in the second tournament then?" Lei asked, opening up a few applications on the computer he was currently using.

"What are you implying?" Anna said with a sneer, not liking where she thought the conversation was going.

"Well, the first and second tournaments were only separated by a length of two years, you were employed under Heihachi's son at the time as a bodyguard, while if I can recall, Nina was still very much a fully pledged assassin for hire. I have from time to time been looking into the Syndicate that she and even you have worked under and from the records that Interpol has, Nina was THE number one to look out for. So-"

"so you're saying that Nina was better than me right?" interrupted Anna, clearly peeved off by Lei at this point.

"No, no, no. I'm not saying that-"

"Yes you most definitely fucking are!"

"Hang on Anna, geez!" said Lei with his hands up in reassurance, "I'm saying what the records showed, I myself haven't said that Nina is better than you."

At that Anna rushed up to Lei and kicked him square in the chest, causing the Super Cop to fall backward in his chair and onto the floor. Lei grunted in pain as his head bounced off the floor hard and yelped in pain once more as Anna planted her foot at his neck, her stiletto digging sharply at Lei's trachea, constricting air-flow.

"Come on honey." Said Anna sinisterly, "Say that bitch is better than me again, one more time. Give me a reason to press down harder."

Lei was nearly choking, "H…hang on… Just… get off me… please…"

Anna laughed at Lei's surrender to her whim, it was just too easy for the Scarlet Woman. Deciding play-time was over, she took her high heel away from Lei's neck and sat down in a nearby chair as Lei got off the floor, rubbing his neck and coughing in distress.

"Clearly you've got a lot of issues." Saying Lei with a wheeze as he picked his chair up off the floor and sat down again. He felt it was better to just move on from this awkward moment.

"And clearly you don't know when to shut your mouth." Retorted Anna with a smirk, her leg's crossed lady-like.

"Look, if I can speak freely. Obviously you're the better one right now after winning in the second tournament, but you were coming into the fight as the underdog from your previous fight with her. I just want to know how you won the fight, okay?"

Anna leaned back a bit in her chair, mulling over whether to talk further about this. Ultimately she decided that Lei had been agreeable enough to divulge a little backstory for, he definitely didn't want to retaliate after she shoved her foot over his neck.

"Ok then Wulong, I'll give you a little bit of foreplay. I can admit that I was a little tense going into that fight with my sister. She had indeed won the last fight between us and was definitely determined to push me aside and go after Kazuya. But I was still ready for our rematch…"

 _The Taj Mahal stood as the backdrop for where the two sisters would meet in their rematch for the Second Tekken Tournament, orchestrated under Kazuya Mishima's reign as chairman of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Cameras were set up around the fighting stage which was located on the other side of the Yamuna River which set the mausoleum in the background. The area was cleared of nearby civilians as to reinforce the safety of the two fighters as well as the safety of the civilians themselves._

 _From opposite sides, the Williams sisters approached one another; looks of determination were instilled in both combatant's eyes as they stared the other down, advancing ever closer. Thoughts of their last battle were still clear in Anna's mind, a defeat too hard to bear. She knew that Nina would never be a pushover and that she herself will presumably be on the defensive throughout. Nina was arguably the better fighter, the better assassin and as such, the better of the two. This was something that Anna neither accepted nor rejected but much rather had chosen to dismiss outright._

 _The two stopped a few metres from each other was they stood and turned side-on. Both sisters were wary of the other starting the affair off too early and wanted to be prepared for anything._

" _Didn't learn from our last encounter, huh sis?" said Nina snidely, her arms folded._

 _Anna got right into her fighting stance, "Shut up bitch, the same won't happen again!" she replied._

 _Nina had a chuckle to herself, "Fair enough, it's not like you've ever learned anything in your life anyways. Well, apart from being a bimbo."_

" _Save your breath for my foot why don't ya?"_

" _Fine, time to die."_

 _A voice started to reverberate from around the two sisters as the announcer for the tournament called out the match-up, "Ladies and gentleman viewing around the world! Your semi-final fight between the two Williams sisters is due to begin!"_

 _Nina got into her fighting stance as well and the two closed their distance to about a metre from each other. The hot climate of India had started to drop as it became dusk. Sunlight shone faintly in the air and still touched the top of the Taj Mahal as a faint wind swept over the area. Sounds of water lapping in the Yamuna River could just be heard in the heated silence between the two individuals standing apart from each other._

" _Ready…FIGHT!"_

 _With incredible speed, both sisters launched at the other and threw multiple knife-like jabs. Their movements were quick and decisive, their attacks with the intent of crippling their opponent. Nina started to gain the upper-hand early on and took Anna off balance with a barrage of jabs which was followed by a low spinning kick, making Anna lose her footing momentarily. Nina capitalised with a thrusting open palmed uppercut which took the Scarlet woman off her feet as she went backwards. Anna luckily collected herself in mid-air and was able to planted her hands on the ground behind her falling head and sprung back, feet first, at her sister. Nina was prepared for the recovery and caught Anna's legs and flipped her backwards once more. Anna executed a backflip and gracefully landed on her feet, although she remained in a crouching position as her looked back at the Blonde assassin._

" _You've definitely learned to fight on the defensive, but I can tell that you've neglected any attacking properties." Called out Nina with a smirk on her face, "So clearly, you haven't improved."_

 _Anna could only glare at her sibling, refusing to make a response. Words were pointless right now, and Anna knew that she'd be wasting her breath. Nina had the right to gloat, for now._

 _Anna launched back into the fray, attacking with a stiff high kick that Nina calmly ducked under and the two restarted their onslaught of knife-like jabs. Both were trained in the martial arts of their parents, their father was an assassin like them and was an accomplished master of Koppojutsu assassination style arts and it was mainly Nina that he taught his fighting style to. Their mother was a famous Aikido fighter and gave most of her lessons on the style to Anna. This helped define the similar styles of the two sisters but the degree of training in either martial art worked as a way to distinguish the two. Nina was the born aggressor; she was the better fighter as a result of her training as it allowed her to deal with any type of opponent in her way. It served to make her the ideal contract killer in her profession who could easily get into the mind of her target and dismantle him or her through a wide range of tactics. For Anna, her training made her act more on the counter, preferring to learn about her target in her multiple styles of confrontations. This made her methods of attack rather unorthodox at times but she preferred this approach as it minimised the dangers presented to her. Both sisters had learnt to focus on their strengths in combat and resolved around those aspects while also working to hide their weaknesses as much as possible._

 _Nina had gotten back into her rhythm and was putting her sister on the ropes. Anna was not having much luck at landing any clean hits on the Blonde assassin and instead had been getting forced back after every hit that had broken through her defences. Anna tried to come back with a deadly swinging chop she liked to call Scarlet Rain, but Nina was able to dodge the attack and now had an easy opening on her sister. Nina closed in and attacked with a powerful rising back fist, her sweeping hand knocking Anna's head up and left her dazed._

" _Shut up." Said Nina with a hint of malice in her words._

 _Nina then performed her patented Geyser combo, a low kick followed by a high angled kick that launched Anna up into the air. The Blonde assassin continued her attack with a high kick catching Anna in the air and following up with a quick left right combination that ended with Nina using her Blonde bomb. The open palmed double thrust launched Anna away and sent her tumbling backwards in pain. The Scarlet woman ended up on the floor and holding her chin in discomfort, she winced in agony from the deadly assault. Nina looked over at her younger sibling and held back a chuckle, turning her head slightly away and folding her arms as they were before they had fought today._

" _It's really just too easy." She gloated towards Anna, who was in a seated position, still holding her jaw, "I honestly thought that you would prove to be a bit more of a challenge after last time. I'm certain now, a part of me wanted to wish that it weren't so, but now I see that it can't be denied. Anna, this is the reason why father isn't around anymore!"_

 _Nina's posture had turned violent and her once boasting expression had become quite serious as she yelled towards Anna._

" _If you could have been stronger and not so much of a failure in our father's eyes, he never would have risked his life for you! You had one job that day! One! We were to do just about everything and when the time came for you to step up and prove yourself, to be a sister for me, you failed! You failed Anna! And that's why I'll never forgive you! YOU'RE BETTER OFF DEAD!"_

 _A small smile curled up at the corner of Anna's face, she spat out some blood that had been caught in her mouth and wiped off a trace of it around her lips. Her eyes lifted and looked up to her sister who was now standing over her, her face fuming with anger._

" _Whatever you say, bitch." Said Anna, who flashed a smile at her sister._

 _Nina had had enough, she lifted her foot and brought it sharply down at Anna head, hoping her high heel would break though her sister's skull and finish her off once and for all. However, Anna had caught the foot and quickly twisted it sideways, bringing Nina onto the floor with a thud. Both sisters got back onto their feet in a flash, rolling away from each other in the process. Anna looked back at her sister, her smile still on her face. Until Nina had went off the rails, Anna had feared her sister, her composure acting as her greatest defence, in fact, their composure was a great defence for the both of them. However, Anna had never lost her cool in this fight, what made her hold on was her fear of looking weak in front of her sister. But now, Nina had played her hand too early and Anna had all the cards, she was now in control, she knew she could win._

 _Nina rushed in with a combination of Flash kicks which Anna copied. Their high heels ramming together with the final kick locking their feet in place. They held their position for a brief moment until Anna performed a Quick somersault, catching Nina by surprise. The somersault launched the sisters apart from each other with Anna able to land on her feet with Nina's landing was not so graceful, landing on her knees. Pain from the landing shot through the Blonde assassin's legs and her moment of soreness allowed Anna to finally capitalise with a Right handed sweep, knocking Nina off her feet. Anna wasted no time in continuing her attack by going for Nina's neck and attempting to apply a Rear Naked Choke. The Scarlet women had just about got the hold locked in until Nina was able to launched off her feet and flip over her sister, with Anna now on the ground and Nina upstanding. However, before Nina could do anything with his advantageous position, Anna sent a quick kick right at Nina's temple, knocking her back._

" _Arrgh!" cried Nina, rubbing her forehead in discomfort._

 _Anna had already gotten back onto her feet and was looking to get back into the assault, she was no longer fighting off the counter and was determined to bring her sister back to the ground to apply more pressure. She attacked with a furious Jab combo followed by two High kicks and then a Backhand, all of which were able to keep Nina bogged down in defence. Anna then broke through by applying a Bonecutter. The Scarlet women leapt into the air and attacked with a jumping high kick that latched onto the neck of her sister and then proceeded to bring her to the floor. Anna grabbed onto the closest leg of Nina and with her one leg holding Nina's upper body down, used her other leg for leverage as she started to violently pull on Nina's leg. Cries could be heard all around the Yamuna River as Nina tried to break out of the hold, but Anna had it in tightly and continued to pull on the leg she held. She could feel the muscles in the leg being stretched and ripped and the bone beginning to bend. Nina yelled in further pain and then in a final gambit was able to turn both herself and her sister onto their stomachs and grab hold of Anna's leg._

 _In this position, Nina was able to take pressure off of the leg that Anna had and was now attempting to get into a seated position above Anna and try to break her legs instead. Before she could get the Heel hold in, Anna was able to contort her body and get under the seated position that her sister was in and then flipped her over once more. Nina fell backwards and lost her hold on Anna's legs. Both sisters rolled away once more with Nina coming the worse out of it. She gripped at her leg for a moment as she felt pain burn through it as she stood up. Anna knew that the time was now, there was going to be no second or third round in this fight, it had gone on long enough as it is._

 _Anna rushed in once more and the two sisters went back to launching quick combinations at each other, this time though, Anna was able to stay out of a fully defensive position and Nina could not utilise all her limbs in the fight now, opting to keep her weakened foot out of her attack. Anna kept on the attack with an articulated combination of legs and jabs starting off with a high kick following by a spinning back fist and then a powerful side kick, rocking Nina slightly from the force. Anna continued with another spinning back fist and followed the attack into a sweeping low kick. Luckily Nina was able to dodge the final kick and then transitioned into a Flash kicks combination, refraining from using her weak foot still. Anna was able to block her sister's kicks and continued to keep her guard up as Nina switched up the combination into a Blonde assault combo, changing her kicks into a jabbing combination and ending with another Blonde bomb. This Blonde bomb however was dodged by the Scarlet women as Anna leapt into the air once again, jumping over the attack. With an opening of her own, Anna came back to ground with a low sweeping kick and followed with a right uppercut thrust, both attacks cleanly hitting the Blonde assassin. Anna then turned the tables completely on Nina with a Somersault Kick, the attack launching Nina and Anna followed through with the attack along with her. Whilst still in mid-air, Anna was able to hover above Nina was they came back down and struck her sister with a sharp kick that propelled Nina harder into the ground as they landed, with Anna using the added momentum from the kick to land further away from her sister. Nina let out a scream of agony from the harsh landing and cupped one of her hands against the back of her head. Anna looked over to her sister and saw red from the cupped hand, Nina was bleeding._

" _It's over sis." Said Anna confidently, now with the right to gloat, "You can't fight in this condition, you've lost."_

 _While they couldn't hear it, all around the world there were spectators of the fight in shock and awe over what was transpiring in this match-up. Many punters had backed Nina to wipe the floor with her sister in this fight, and now with the bout going completely in the opposite direction, many people were being left in amazement._

 _Hearing her sister, Nina looked back over to Anna with a cold look on her face. Her blue eyes were striking and piercing into her sister with profound anger over not only from what had just happened but also because of what she would have to endure with this loss. While Anna didn't completely understand her sister, she knew enough to know that a loss such as this would completely change how the two would be seen from each other's perspective. So much was riding on Nina to achieve victory here today, much more than Anna could ever understand. But still, Anna was right, Nina was no longer in a condition to win._

" _No…" said Nina quietly as she slowly came back onto her feet, "You cannot win… You don't deserve to… Not after what you did to father… What you've done…to me…"_

 _With a defiant yell, Nina charged at her sister with everything she had left. Anna was immediately put on the defensive as her sister attacked with a flurry of punches and kicks, now using her still weakened leg, despite the pain that ached on as she continued to fight. Nina unleashed a barrage of PK rushes and combinations, striking at whatever she could. Her attacks were almost endless with Anna once again back on the ropes but not losing focus. While the rapid kicks and jabs were indeed taking a toll on Anna's body, she knew that Nina was on her last legs and would soon succumb to fatigue. Suddenly, Nina soared into the air and grabbed onto Anna's shoulders, performing a Jumping Flip. The manoeuvre caught Anna by surprise as she was flung onto her stomach, landing almost on her face from the impact. Groggy from the throw, Anna shakily looked up off the floor to see Nina somehow rushing towards her and prepared to be finished in that defining moment. That was until Nina suddenly dropped to her knees in agony from her sore leg, the throw taking whatever strength was left out of it._

 _Anna let out of sigh as she got back to her feet, "Game over bitch, sorry it has to be this way."_

 _Nina started shaking her head in disbelief, "No, no, no, no… You… Damn you… DAMN YOU!"_

 _Somehow Nina rose back to her feet and launched at Anna once again. However, her attack was sloppy and Anna easily caught Nina's arm and staggered the Blonde assassin with a Chin bash and followed into a standing Arm Lock, swiftly dislocating Nina's arm. Another cry of pain came from Anna's sister as she finished off the counter with an Elbow Smash; swinging Nina's body from a standing face-down position to a standing face-up position and ramming her elbow into her sister's upper chest, slamming her into the ground._

 _Nina remained on the ground, her breathing was slow and her left arm unmoving after its dislocation. Anna stood over her sister and chuckled to herself, the round was hers._

" _Round one goes to Miss Anna Williams!" called out the announcer's voice from around the two sisters._

" _Hahahahahahahahahaha… Oh Nina, please stay down. For your own good that is."_

 _After a minute, the announcer's voice finally graced the Yamuna River once more, "Nina Williams has been unable to get back up for the second Round, thus the round goes to Miss Anna Williams, your victor!"_

"…A huge part of me was glad that the fight was finally over. My sister was being far too persistent in not accepting defeat at my hands, and I didn't want to hurt her any more than she already was." Anna said to Lei, her tale of the fight coming to a close.

"But I thought you hated her. Why was her wellbeing such an importance to you?" Lei interjected.

"I did hate her, and I still do. However, Kazuya had plans for my sister and she needed to be in good health for the Cryogenic sleep procedure."

The Super Cop started to chuckle to himself, striking Anna as a curious behaviour after what she had just told him.

"What's so damn funny?!" she blurted out.

"Oh? It's just the fact that up til that point, you had no knowledge on what they were going to do with your sister." Lei replied with a smug grin.

"What? Bullshit I didn't! What even made you think of such an accusation?"

"Mount Amagi's restricted records." Lei answered, "I helped myself to some information while you told me about your fight in the second tournament."

Lei turned the monitor of the computer he sat at and showed it to Anna.

"It says here that after hearing about the procedure, you eventually volunteered to be a part of it for personal reasons. Which to me means that you didn't want to be a middle-aged woman when Nina came out of her stasis."

Anna raised an eyebrow at the detective, actually amazed at his sleuthing skills, "My, my. I didn't think you'd be breaking the rules Mr. Super Cop."

"I'm undercover." Lei replied, "I can afford to be a little underhanded if the need arises. Meanwhile, this does explain your rivalry with Nina a little better."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"Well, referencing the animosity she has to you over the death of your father; Nina clearly hates you for what you did, or better yet, what you didn't do at that time. As for yourself, it's apparent that you lack any true motivation to hate your sister and much rather prefer to be in a rivalry to be closer to her."

Anna's eyes shot wide open at what Lei had just said, taking her completely by shock.

"W-what?! How can you say such a thing!? I hate that bitch with everything I have! She's a psycho bitch and what's worse, she's a psycho bitch running around with no memories!"

"Sure, you may hate her, but it's not the real reason that you wish to continue this rivalry with her." Continued Lei, "You value her deep down and right now, you don't see any other way to continue having a proper relationship with her. Actually, that was how it was before. Now with her memories gone, you can actually look for the opportunity to have a normal life with your sister; the two of you can be a family once more. It's rather sweet of you actually."

Anna's eyes had stopped being so wide, instead she was now looking at Lei with a squint in her eyes, as if she was mystified by what she had just heard from the Super Cop. Slowly a laugh started to protrude from the Scarlet woman, growing louder by the second. This threw Lei off guard by the strange behaviour being exhibited from Anna.

"W…why are you laughing for?" he asked in confusion.

"HAHAHAHAHA, oh my! Is that what you think I want? To reshape the blank memories of my sister into something that will love me? She'll not be the darling sister I know and love then. Why would I want that? I want my sister back, the same sister that loathes me to no end, the ultimate bitch that she is."

"WHAT?! Why would you want to continue this sibling rivalry between you two? My god, from what you told me, Nina has a lot of trouble letting the past go, but you have some serious daddy issues to sort OWWWWW!"

A mighty slap came from the Scarlet woman, going straight across Lei's face, turning his head to the side from the impact. His left cheek was already becoming red just seconds from the slap connecting and he held a hand over it to muffle the stinging pain.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?" Lei cried out, "It's not my fault I figured out who the real psycho bitch is he-YYYEEEOWW!"

Anna's right hand came back over Lei's face, collecting his right cheek with a powerful back-handed slap. The force of the blow sent Lei reeling backwards, falling back to the ground in his chair once more, his head bouncing off the ground again. Anna stood over the detective with her hands at her hips, her head tilted to the side slightly, looking down at Lei on the floor with a condescending look on her face.

"You know nothing, Lei Wulong." She finally said, and immediately left the room with a huff.

The door slammed behind Anna as Lei was left in the dark room to get up off the floor, rubbing both his cheeks and soon afterwards the back of his head.

"Wulong buddy, what have you gotten yourself into?" he said out loud to himself as he pulled the chair up off the ground and sat back down again.

Lei decided to end the day as he started closing the applications on the computer he was using. He closed out of the restricted files from Mount Amagi and closed the surveillance folder as well. Finally, he was left with a page showing the dossiers of the fighters in the ongoing tournament, including his own. Just for the heck of it, Lei skimmed through the files of the fighters; he passed over Jin's file, Anna's file, Yoshimitsu's file as well as his own and a few other of the combatants, including the file of a young male with long messy hair and a scar on his face. Finally, as he was about to close out of that as well when his eyes darted to the name of one of the fighters, Ryan Snake-Eye.

 _Ryan?_ Lei thought to himself as he opened the file. The man was labelled as an American, stood over 6 foot and was billed as a 29 years old, coincidently the age that his partner was when he died. Lei looked for a picture of the fighter and found only a picture of the man with a skull-print balaclava over his face. However, what captured Lei's attention was a tribal tattoo on the neck of the fighter. Lei recognised a tattoo like that anywhere, it was the same one that his partner Bryan had.

"Bryan? Bryan!"

…

Himitsu sat quietly in a desk chair which he had placed in front of the mirror of his hotel room. It was Sunday now and had been two days since his last fight in the preliminaries. During those two days, he had been moved out of the hotel he was in prior and was now in a five-star hotel that was provided for the final 16 fighters. Since he had been moved, Himitsu had barely left his quarters and spent most of his time in this chair, looking at himself in the mirror. His legs shook uncontrollably and his head was in his hands. He was deeply depressed over the events of that Friday, the way he had finished the fight with Panda was one that he wanted rid from his mind but it wouldn't be shaken. He felt like he was becoming a monster with every passing day and was frightened that his time was coming to a close. Premonitions of his future as well as the visions he had were started to take their toll on the Lionheart and he was afraid of what he was slowly becoming.

A knock at his door jarred Himitsu out of his sullen state. He picked himself up off the chair and slowly walked towards the door and looked through the peephole. On the other side of the door was a dark-skinned man wearing a tan-brown silk shirt and black slacks with matching black shoes. His hair was brown and was platted into dreadlocks, held together in a ponytail. Himitsu recognised the man's face from one of the fighters on the same floor as him who he had lightly greeted when he arrived.

"Eddy?" Himitsu said from his side of the door.

"Yeah, it's me." Replied the Brazilian, "Getting dressed nicely and let's go to this thing."

"W-what? Why?" stuttered the Lionheart.

"Just come on."

Himitsu wasn't sure what the guy was talking about and at first just wanted to shoo him away and continue to stay in his hotel room for the remainder of the weekend. Luckily, he thought against staying cooped up in his solace and decided that having Eddy reach out to him to come out for a bit was as good as it was going to get for the Lionheart. He needed to have some time to forget about his brooding and try to focus on the coming days. Himitsu walked over to the dresser in his hotel room to get some clothes out but then stopped once he realised something. He walked back over to the door and called out to the Brazilian.

"Hey, um I don't know how to say this but I don't really have anything to wear out."

"Oh, that's no problem. I've got plenty of stuff to wear out that you could borrow, we're practically the same size anyway."

"Wow, gee thanks I really appreciate that." Said Himitsu who was clearly elated by how generous this guy was being to him.

"Now that I think about it," continued Eddy, "It's no wonder you're only just hearing about this from me."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Himitsu.

"The note's still on your door."

"What note?" said Himitsu, finally opening his door to the Brazilian.

Looking at where Eddy was mentioning, Himitsu saw that a piece of paper had been put onto his door with sticky-tape. Himitsu took the note from the doorframe and read it to himself. On it, the note was an invitation to a party that was being held at the hotel's VIP bar. It was being organised by Paul Phoenix and Forest Law and was for only the 16 finalists of the tournament.

"Why would they want to organise this? We're going to be fighting each other in a matter of days." Said Himitsu hesitantly.

"Who knows? Regardless it's an excuse to let our hair down for one night, could be fun. So, what do you say?"

Himitsu took one last look at the note, pondering how the night could go. _This is for the finalists only…_ he thought to himself, _Jin could be there… Ogre could be there… Would he even go?_

Himitsu let out a quick snicker and scrunched the note up in his hands, "Let's have some fun!"

* * *

(Just a quick A/N here, hope you enjoy the focus on the Williams sisters in this one, may have skimmed on Lei's character a bit in this chapter but hopefully in the next few I can improve on his role in the story, enjoy!)


	28. The Party

Chapter 28 – The Party

Paul was leaning by the private bar area of the VIP floor, casually finishing off his fourth beer of the night. Being no stranger to alcohol, the Hot-blooded fighter could not feel the faintest buzz from the drink so far and was hoping to down 3 times as much before the night was through. He took the time to dress up for the occasion and thankfully had a more formal attire to wear out. He wore a red tuxedo jacket with a black dress shirt underneath. He also wore matching red dress pants and slick black shoes to finish off his look and most importantly, tonight Paul wasn't rocking his trademark fauxhawk and instead was letting his hair down, literally. Out of the corner of his eye, Paul could see that his young friend Forest was approaching the bar and turned to signal the bartender on hand.

"Yo bud! Can I can two more of those beers?"

"Certainly sir." Came the stout reply from the bartender.

Forest's attire was more casual than formal, opting to wear his white kung fu jacket with a dragon motif on the back, dark blue pants and black shoes.

Forest came up to greet his good friend, "Evening Paul, looks like you've started this party on your own."

"Hahahaha, I thought I'd give everyone a fair chance to out drink me." Replied a gleeful Paul, "So, if anyone asks, this is my second, cheers hahahaha!"

The two men took their beers and drank, both men downing half their bottles in one go.

"I don't get why you had to include me on the invitations though, it was all your idea." Said Forest, wiping his lips clean.

"You handed them out but, so you deserve some credit, little pal." Replied Paul.

"Maybe, but what was your idea in organising this for? I don't remember hearing you do this in the first and second tournament from what my dad told me, what gives?"

"Well Forest, I was thinking a few days ago that through these tournaments, we are bound to come across people that we've known from previous encounters, be it in good faith or bad blood or whatever the shit. I realised that perhaps it would be good for just one night that we all could get together, grab a few beers, pass around a few stories and hopefully get to know one another without having to punch each other in the face."

"Fair enough," Forest said, finishing off his beer with a belch, "You think there'll be any good lookers?"

"You mean of the female kind?" added Paul, raising an eyebrow and giving off a smirk to his friend.

"I can imagine that the girl fighters in this tournament would look like total babes." A smile was instilled on Forest's face, "Toned body, killer legs, and hopefully a few perky tits hahaha!"

"You know Forest, I've got a feeling that you've taken after me more than you've taken after your old man, HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The two men laughed together until Paul noticed someone approaching them. It was someone that Paul would recognise anywhere with that mask on his face.

"Holy shit, King! Great to see ya pal!" said Paul, greeting the luchador as he approached.

King wore a black dress jacket with a white button-up shirt and a light blue tie with dark blue strips on it. He also wore black dress pants but strangely enough was wearing some black lace-up wrestling shoes as well. At first he was just walking to the bar but was now walking directly towards the man who had called out to him.

"Buenas noches." Said King to the men before him, feeling a bit off tempo at how this person seems to know him.

"Here, have a cold one ole pal." Began Paul, handing King a fresh bottle of beer, "Goddamn, 20 years since we last saw each other and you look the same as you always were, and you're taller! Hahahahaha, how'd you do it?"

King tilted his head to the side in confusion, "Que? Umm, senor you may have me confused with the former wearer of this mask."

"Former wearer?"

"Si, I am not the same King from 20 years ago. He…is dead."

"…oh…"

Paul rubbed his head ruefully, realised how out of touch he was with the other fighters of the tournament. He hadn't found out that his former rival Kazuya was dead for over a year after the 2nd tournament had ended. Right now he felt pretty dumb and as times past, he couldn't blame it on the alcohol.

"Gee man, I'm sorry. I…I guess I've been out of the loop for a hell of a long time. We actually fought in the 2nd tournament you see; it as going to be either me or him that was going to take on Kazuya and I only just beat…him. I gotta tell ya bud, that King was a great fighter. You wouldn't think that wrestlers could hang with martial artists, but that guy proved them ALL wrong! He came third in the original tournament! He was awesome! He was-"

Forest quickly cut off his friend, "Alright, alright Paul. I think he gets it, you can relax."

"I dearly appreciate your kind words senor." Said King, "Any friends of the former King are amigos to me as well, gracias."

"Thanks pal," replied a much happier Paul, "by the way, this here's Forest Law, son of the great-"

"Again, alright Paul, thank you." Interrupted Forest, clearly annoyed with his friend at this point, "I am Forest Law, a good friend of Paul's who's a good friend… of my father. So anyway, seeing as you're the new King, what do we call you? King the second?"

The question made the luchador chuckle deeply, "No, no, no, hahaha. Just call me King, I have taken up the mantle of the former which as a luchador is a great honour. It's in this way that people think of it like he was never gone."

"His spirit living on pretty much." Added Forest.

"Exactamente." Agreed King.

"Well, King." Started Paul, reinjecting himself back into the conversation, "I see you're still holding that full bottle of beer in your hands, how about a toast to the former King? Let's drink hahaha!"

"I might have to give this back to you, compadre. I cannot drink tonight." Replied King.

"How come?" asked Forest, "Is it because you don't want to take off your mask?"

"Forest! Don't have a go at his mask!" hollered Paul, "It's very important to him!"

"I wasn't having a go at his mask Paul!" Forest yelled back.

"Amigos, relax." Said King, coming between the two, "I wish to only keep my body clean for the fights to come, I can manage with a water or something else non-alcoholic if you wish for me to drink with you."

"So… how will you be drinking then?" Forest asked, cautiously.

"Very carefully." Replied King with a chuckle.

…

It only took about eight to ten minutes of going through the clothes that Eddy had on offer and before long both he and Himitsu were making their way to the elevators, ready for tonight's pre-tournament party. Himitsu exited the hotel room wearing a beige yellow buttoned-up, long sleeve shirt with orchard designs on the right arm sleeve and on the left side of the shirt. He wore a pair of chestnut brown designer jeans with an embezzled belt buckle and to finish it off, a pair of beige suede shoes.

"I don't know about this," said Himitsu, commenting on what he was wearing, "You don't think the belt is a bit much?"

"We're not going to a ball; we're going to drink so it suits what you're wearing." Replied the Brazilian as the elevator opened for the two of them.

"Ok then." Relented Himitsu, "By the way, thanks for bringing me out of my room. I've been pretty glum after my last fight."

"Yeah, I picked up on your mood. We all make mistakes so don't worry about a thing. I got your back."

The two men got in and Eddy pushed the intercom for the VIP floor. They didn't need any clearance now that they were in the finals and could come and go where they please. Still, they were being monitored on at a constant basis, mainly for TV footage to show the viewers but also to keep an eye on them.

"What's your full name again, Eddy?" Himitsu asked out of the blue.

"Full name? You mean the long one or the short one?" Eddy asked back.

"There's a long one? Uhh, maybe we'll just stick with the short one then."

"It's Gordo, Eddy Gordo."

"Gordo huh? I like it, it really ties together well." Himitsu complemented.

"Haha, yeah I thought so too. Gordo's actually a nickname I got christened with when I was younger. It means 'fat' in Portuguese."

"Fat? Why would people call you fat for?" questioned Himitsu.

"Because I was," said Eddy, shrugging, "I grew up in a rich family in Brazil and when I was a kid I didn't really get much exercise so I was pretty tubby. The kids that I hung out with gave me the nickname but not as a way to tease me so I never really took offense to it. Once I got older and finally worked off my weight, I still liked the nickname so much that it stuck with me."

"Hmm, neat. You must have been one of the buffest guys in your teens then."

"Nah, I didn't really gain any muscle until I went to…prison…"

Eddy traced off with the last word, looking like he might have said too much to the Lionheart.

"Prison?" exclaimed Himitsu, "What'd you get busted for?"

Eddy took in a breath to pause on the question and eventually answered, "I might tell you one day, if we can get to call each other friend."

Himitsu knew what Eddy meant when he said this, "Very well." It was better to not overstep any boundaries just yet.

Their elevator took them up to the VIP level located just a few floors from the top of the hotel. The entire floor was filled with dancing features and multiple quiet rooms to have more personal conversations for friends and such. It was almost its own dance club if not for the location and already the beat was jumping in the place as Himitsu and Eddy arrived. The two men scanned the area, with Himitsu spotting Paul out at the VIP bar.

"That's Paul over there." Said Himitsu, pointing at the bar for Eddy to see.

"No girls yet. Hopefully this doesn't turn out to be a sausage fest." Remarked Eddy jokily.

"Hahahaha indeed." Chuckled Himitsu.

The two men walked over to the bar and caught the attention of the Hot-blooded martial artist and the other two men that were with him.

"How's it going guys?" opened Himitsu, "Got your invitation."

Paul put his beer on the counter and welcomed the two men, "Welcome to the party hahaha! Hey, you must be Eddy right?" he said, shaking the Brazilian's hand.

"Nice to meet you Paul, I recognise you from footage from the second tournament." Said Eddy, "And you must be King, although I think I'm right to say that you're not the one from the prior tournaments."

"You are correct amigo." Replied King, shaking Eddy's hand also.

Forest walked up to Himitsu and greeted him, "Hey, I think I've seen footage from one of your fights. You're the guy that clobbered that Panda bear, right?"

The question immediately sent a chill down Himitsu's spine, it wasn't exactly the way he wanted to be introduced to his fellow competitors and was already putting him under pressure.

"Uhhh…"

"Best to not ask about that." Interrupted Eddy, "It wasn't his intention to lose control like that."

"Oh, fair enough. Sorry for bringing it up bro." said Forest.

Himitsu's nerves started to settle down again, he turned back to Paul.

"Hey, do we have to buy our own drinks here or what?"

"All expenses are on the house, courtesy of old man Heihachi!" replied Paul with a hearty laugh, "Bartender! Give these two men a beer and keep em' coming!"

…

Xiaoyu sat on the edge of her bed with her phone to her ear, calling Jin for the eighth time this evening and still there was no answer from him. Panda was lounging in the middle of the hotel room and keeping an attentive eye on her mistress. Panda had recovered pretty well after her loss to Himitsu and was now strictly following her instructions to act as Xiaoyu's bodyguard. Strangely enough this was how Panda wanted it to be, she wasn't really interested in competing in the tournament as she had no real motivation for doing so. Her only wishes were to look after Xiaoyu and keep her safe from any harm, doing it this way was much better than having to compete in the tournament as well.

Meanwhile, Xiaoyu had once again been taken to Jin's voicemail, prompting her to leave yet another message.

"Jin, it's me again. Come on, I know you're in your hotel room right now and you're intentionally not picking up. Please Jin, I need someone to go with me to the VIP floor for Paul's party and I can't bring Panda with me, disregarding the fact that she's a bear, she's not old enough to enter on her own anyway. You know I can just kick down the door to your room so don't make me do so okay? Pleeeease, either call me back or meet me on my floor okay? I'll talk to you soon… okay bye."

Xiaoyu hung up her phone again and put it back in her purse. She desperately wanted to go to the party at the VIP floor that Paul had organised for the 16 finalists but seeing as she was under 18, despite being a finalist, she couldn't go without being accompanied by someone old enough. All she could do was sat at the edge of her bed and kick her legs back and forth, clearly annoyed all the while. Why wasn't Jin answering? She knew that if he was still in his hotel room, he'd be able to hear her messages on his phone once they went to voicemail. Perhaps he didn't want to go to the party. Was he worried about seeing Himitsu? Now that the two of them were in the finals, both had rarely been seen leaving their hotel rooms as there had been little coverage of them on TV. Maybe they were intentionally avoiding each other? Xiaoyu had no way of contacting Himitsu to either confirm or deny this and most likely he wouldn't offer any comment on the subject either.

"Okay, that's it!" Xiaoyu yelled, jumping off her bed and marching towards the door out of her room.

Panda picked up her head and called out to her mistress, "Urr, grra urghh?"

"I'm going to Jin's room to drag him out of it!" replied Xiaoyu, opening her door.

"Aarrh orr orrl uurghh."

"I don't care! He was no reason to sulk in his room. He's taking me to the party whether he likes it or not! Don't wait up okay?"

"Raarrr…" Panda sighed, moving over to the couch and turning on the TV.

Xiaoyu closed the door behind her and sighed deeply, resting her head on the doorframe and closing her eyes for a moment. She wasn't prone to outbursts like that and it had taken her by surprise at how quickly she got all worked up. Eventually, she finally turned around and walked towards the elevators and pressed on the intercom. While she waited, she looked at herself in the reflection of the elevator doors, pondering over the choice of attire she was wearing right now. She wore a long Qipou Cheongsam dress that was a rose-red and embroidered with a phoenix and floral patterns on the front. The length of the dress ended at her shins and both sides of the dress were cut-up to just under her thighs allowing better movement. She wore dark red high heels and her hair was done up into a braided bun that she did herself which took nearly an hour to do right. She hoped that she wasn't overdoing it by dressing this way but also saw it as an opportunity to stand out and a small part of her hoped that maybe Jin might like it.

Finally, the elevator doors opened and inside it was a young women wearing a short purple dress ending at her upper thigh. She wore black, lace stockings and also a matching black long sleeve, open shirt that was tied together under her chest. She also wore knee high boots and her hair was done into a single braid ponytail. In her hand was a piece of paper that Xiaoyu recognised as the party invitation that she also received.

"Well this definitely ain't the floor." The women said out loud in front of Xiaoyu.

"Are you heading up to the VIP bar?" Xiaoyu asked the woman, stepping into the elevator herself.

"Sure am! You too?"

"Yeah!"

"Awesome, let's group up then. We'll go together!" said the woman enthusiastically.

"Really? Oh thank you, thank you! This is great cause I can't really go there on my own, on the account of being underage and all."

"Oh that's okay. Just don't drink any alcohol okay? Wouldn't want to get into trouble now would we?"

"Oh course not hahaha!" Xiaoyu was overjoyed at this moment, things were definitely working out tonight, "I'm Ling Xiaoyu by the way, first name Xiaoyu hehehe."

"Chang Julia, first name Ju-hahaha sorry if you think I'm joking around!"

Xiaoyu laughed as well, "No it's perfectly fine."

"I understand why you pronounce it that way though," Julia continued, "My mother's half Chinese herself."

"Really?! Oh my god, I'm so glad I'm not the only Chinese girl here, this is great!" Xiaoyu was just about to hop around the elevator with glee.

"Well, I'm not Chinese per se, at least I think I'm not. My mother actually adopted me when I was just a little baby."

"Oh, no problem then. You're really nice by the way and I love your dress."

"Thank you, I love yours even more. I know the boots don't exactly fit with everything else but it's the only thing I have that's remotely close to a high heel."

"No, it's perfectly fine. Honestly your legs stand out more with them. If your dress went to your knee, then it may seem weird hahahaha."

Both Xiaoyu and Julia laughed together as the elevator opened up to the VIP floor where the party was being held. Both girls walked out and made their way towards the bar where Xiaoyu spotted out Himitsu who was having a drink along with four other men, one of them wearing a jaguar mask who was sipping from a glass of water with a straw going into the mouth of the mask.

Julia immediately greeted the masked man, "Oh my god, you're King! I can't believe you're here! I'm a huge fan of yours and your mentor, Armor King. We all watch your fights back at my village, it's so great that you're competing!"

"Gracias senorita. I assume you're competing here also?" said King courteously

"Indeed I am, name's Julia and this here is Xiaoyu."

Himitsu finally took notice of the two women, turning away from Paul to greet them.

"Little Xiao! Aren't you a little too young to be in a bar? Hahahahahaha!"

"Ha ha. Very funny." Said Xiaoyu sarcastically, putting her hands to her hips in an unamused gesture.

Himitsu expression quickly turned serious, "Hey listen, I'm really sorry about what happened after my fight with your panda friend. I never meant to do that and it all got out of hand. That's not me who you saw, I would never strike a defeated opponent like that."

Xiaoyu placed a hand on Himitsu's free arm as reassurance, "It's okay, I forgive you and I know Panda does as well. Don't feel bad over it okay? We all do things that we regret sometimes."

"Thanks Xiao." Said Himitsu with a warm smile, a weight on his shoulders felt lifted, "How is she doing?"

"Just fine, she's in my room right now actually, no real damage whatsoever."

Julia looked away from King and noticed Himitsu, "Hey, I remember you. You're that guy from the administration building right."

"Yeah, I am. You made it to the finals I see." Himitsu responded with a grin.

"As did you." Said Julia back.

"Yeah. Ummm, you look nice."

"Thanks, so do you."

"You can thank my friend for that," said Himitsu, who pointed to Eddy, "he lent me these threads."

"Ok then…"

"…"

"…"

Not liking the silence, Paul quickly broke it, "So, you want a beer Julia, join the party for real am I right?"

"Yes, that sounds like a great idea." Julia replied, walking towards Paul and Forest.

"Bartender, another round!" Paul called out.

Himitsu watched Julia head towards the bar and took another sip of his beer in silence.

"Hey missy, want a beer as well?" Paul said towards Xiaoyu.

"She's underage." Julia answered for her, "Best give her a water."

"She can join King as another DC." Said Forest.

"DC?" questioned Xiaoyu.

"Designated carrier." Answered King, "In case any of us need to be carried to their rooms."

Xiaoyu walked over to Himitsu who had slunk away from the group and was leaning against the bar at the other end. He had quickly finished his beer and was now staring at the open dance floor of the VIP floor. The dance floor was open to the other residents of the 5-star hotel while the VIP bar was strictly closed off for the tournament's fighters. People were freely dancing to the dance music being blasted throughout the floor while at the VIP bar, the volume had been dropped to allow conversation.

"You okay?" Xiaoyu asked Himitsu.

"Yeah, of course I am." Replied Himitsu, still staring at the dance floor.

"Looks like you have trouble talking to Julia."

"No I don't."

"You clearly do, are you not sure how to talk to girls?"

"Shut up little Xiao." Said Himitsu sternly, still not looking at the girl standing before him.

"Gee, don't get all defensive. There's no problem in not being able to talk to girls."

"I'm talking to you aren't I?"

"Sure, but you're not interested in me am I right?" said Xiaoyu while wagging her finger in front of Himitsu's face, drawing his attention away from the dance floor finally.

"Speaking of interests," boasted Himitsu, "Where's my brother?"

"Jin? I couldn't get a hold of him. Actually that reminds me, I should leave a message telling him where I am, seeing as he won't pick up his phone."

Xiaoyu walked away from Himitsu and got onto her phone to call Jin. Himitsu watched her walk off and then looked back to the other fighters at the other end of the bar. The five of them were all in conversation with each other with Paul doing most of the talking although right now it seemed like it was more like he was spouted nonsense. Himitsu took a deep breath and exhaled and then turned towards the counter and signalled the bartender.

"Bartender! You got anything strong?"

"Certainly sir, might I suggest a brandy or perhaps a scotch on the rocks?"

"How about some whiskey?" Himitsu asked.

"Right away sir." Replied the bartender, hurrying off to get Himitsu his drink.

"So here's where the chumps gather! I've been on the dance floor for about 20 minutes looking for you guys!" called out a voice from the entrance to the bar.

Himitsu and the rest of the fighters turned to see a man entering the VIP bar. He was dressed rather casually and looked like he had been dancing moments prior. He wore a tight black shirt with a zodiac print on the front of it. He had light blue skinny jeans on with a belt buckle that had a bull on it. A grey jacket was slung over his shoulder and his auburn hair was held back by his riding goggles. His shoes were a dark magenta red and had a snake skin texture with skull boot tips at the end of each, making them stand out and he also wore his black biker gloves as well. It seemed more like he was ready for a fight than to party.

"Who are you?" asked Forest, everyone's eye contact focused on the man before them.

"Name's Hwoarang and I'm glad I got your attention, cause you're all looking at the winner of this tournament." Hwoarang kept his smug expression as he continued, "So enjoy your party tonight because you better have your bags packed and ready if you're facing me."

"Your cocky attitude will get you nowhere." Retorted King, taking a step towards the Blood Talon.

"Neither will that cat on your face." Replied Hwoarang, taking a step towards the Luchador himself.

The two were about to come within inches of each other until Eddy got in the way.

"How about we all relax and enjoy the night okay? We're not here to start a fight, we're here to have a good time remember?"

"Well you're half right," Hwoarang interjected, "I'm not here to fight HIM."

King snarled and walked back over to the bar with the rest of the fighters while Himitsu continued watching from his end.

"Why don't you come over to the bar and get yourself a beer or two? Drinks are all on the house." Eddy said to the Blood Talon.

Hwoarang chuckled, "That's the best thing I've heard all day, free drinks!"

…

His hotel room was mainly dark as Jin continued his reps. His feet were planted at the top of the table in his room, adding more body weight as he performed his push-ups. He'd been at it for over an hour now, his body glistening with sweat but he wasn't near tired from his full-body workout. He reached 50 and got up off the floor and immediately went over to two chairs that he had tied together with a belt. He lay his back over the chairs with his lower body hanging over the edge and started to do ab-crunches, lifting his legs high into the air and slowly lowering them back down and repeating. He barely made a sound of exertion as he continued the exercise, only his breathing could be heard.

His phone then started to ring on his bedside table and as before, he took no notice of it and continued his reps. The phone as before went to voicemail and once again Xiaoyu could be heard, this time however, there was music in the background.

"Hey Jin, if you're still in your room or you're waiting by my door, I'm at the VIP bar with the other fighters. I met one on the way and I went in with her. Honestly I think I could have gone in on my only really, no one stopped me to ask for my age or anything. Anyway, I here so obviously don't worry about going to my room to wait for me although I'm sure you haven't. Umm… Himitsu's here Jin, and he asked about you. I think the two of you should talk and get any stuff you have out in the open. It not right for the two of you to bicker with each other, you are brothers after-all. Anyway, I think the message timer's about to go so I'll let you go, but please do come to the party, I'm sure you'll have a great time. Okay, see you soon J-"

The phone hung up before Xiaoyu could finish and the room went silent once again. Jin got up out of his training position and sat on the chair in thought, thinking about what he had just heard.

 _He's there. I don't get why he hasn't come to talk to me in the first place, we've been in this hotel for two days now. Why haven't I gone to talk to him though? Dammit, why are you making this difficult Mits?_

Jin pinched the bridge of his nose, his face curled up like he was disgusted and finally he stood on his feet.

"Fuck it." He said out loud.

Jin moved to the bathroom and got undressed and hopped into the shower to wash off his sweat. He pondered his current actions to himself as he stood under the stream of warm water drenching his head and shoulders. He remembered seeing Himitsu waiting for him by his bike almost half a year ago; how frail and weak his brother looked; how he punched him on the face which surprised Jin to such an extent that he fell over backwards. It had started off so well and ended up so terribly that Jin was almost certain that such a similar event would happen if he went to the VIP bar. However, the raven-haired man was certain that it wouldn't be him who was decked out on the floor if it came to blows. Jin would be the one standing this time should anything happen, that he was sure of.

With his shower over, Jin got out of the shower and dried himself off and walked back into his bedroom and opened up his dresser to take out something smart to wear. Suddenly his thoughts shifted from Himitsu to something else. Would Ogre show up? It seemed absolutely ludicrous to think that a being such as that humanoid would walk into a bar and yet the thought of the impossible still remained on Jin's mind. Lately, the impossible was becoming blurred to him as his dreams continued to show the same nightmare that had been haunting him for 3 years' now. He knew that the dream was something more but he couldn't figure out what. He never talked about it to anyone, not even to his grandfather, but he was desperate to figure out what this dream meant and why he kept on having it. He had originally thought that the being in it was Ogre but the more he had it, the more it felt like the dark figure was something else entirely.

Jin snapped out of his thoughts and picked out something to wear and took a quick glance in the mirror at himself, looking at the mark on his left arm.

"Whatever you are," he said to his reflection, "you have no control over me. You are nothing."

…

Anna stood in front of her mirror and turned to the side to admire her dress. It was the 23rd one she had tried on and finally she was content that this was the one for tonight. She wore a long silk white dress with a deep V front and the left side cut up to her left thigh, just how she liked it. She wore matching white stilettos and cream stockings which covered both legs. She turned to look at her exposed back and turned once more to face her front, satisfied with her final choice.

"Anna darling, you should've been born 20 years later." She said to herself proudly.

When she first found the invitation on her hotel room door, she laughed to herself and tossed the note straight into the garbage, finding the whole idea of the Tekken fighters meeting up to have drinks hysterical. They should be fighting each other, not getting drunk together she thought. Eventually though, Anna saw the benefits of the party. It was a chance to get inside the heads of her potential opponents and to defuse any threats; a great way to scope out the competition as it were. Not only that, if Heihachi's grandson showed up; that could only mean that her sister might show up as well. She reached into a jewellery box on her dresser and pulled out a sparkling white necklace with a sapphire gem at its bottom and attached it around her neck, once again turning to face the mirror to admire herself. If there ever was a reason for the eyes of any man to wander south, this was a good a reason as ever.

To Anna, her body wasn't something that she abused or threw around like a cheap trick. To her, it was a weapon. Beauty was as much a tool of her trade as anything else she employed and she knew how to use it well. Tonight was going to be fun.

Now completely satisfied that she was ready, Anna picked up her purse and walked out of her apartment. Upon leaving her room, she was greeting by the most unpleasant of sights imaginable, Lei Wulong. Lei was leaning against the wall just a few metres from Anna's hotel room with his head to his cell phone. He wore a plain white shirt with a black tie, it's sleeves rolled up past his elbows. He wore black pants and had a pair of brown leather shoes on and his hair for once wasn't pulled together into a loose ponytail, instead his hair was flowing freely down his shoulders.

"What the HELL are you doing here?!" Anna shouted at the Super cop.

Lei put his phone away from looked up at Anna as he started speaking, "Being your chaper…oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh… righty then."

Seeing Anna had completely ruined Lei's train of thought and right now his eyes were glued to the ceiling, fearing his eyes would betray him the second he looked back at the Scarlet women before him.

"I don't NEED no chaperone dickless." Anna continued, "Especially one as hopeless as you."

"Well, that dress only confirms my suspicions Anna." Lei replied, turning side-on and looking at Anna's face from out the corner of his eye.

"Suspicions? What suspicions?" Anna implored.

"That you're up to no good."

"Oh really huh? Well do tell detective, I long to hear your thoughts on what I'm doing tonight and how you plan to hold me against my will."

"Very well, but I'm not stopping you from going." Lei said, beginning to walk towards the elevators on their floor, "Obviously when you first saw the invitation to the party that Paul has put on, you thought it was a joke, probably tossing the paper away.

Anna's eyes narrowed as she started to follow the detective towards the elevators, "Go on." She hissed.

"Before long however, you realised what an opportunity it would be to meet our opponents in such a casual environment and figured that you'd try your hand at getting a psychological advantage over everyone well beforehand, among other things, thus making your attempts to sleuthing out your sister all the more easy for you."

"Very well detective, but tell me; how do you plan on stopping me?"

"Quite simple," continued Lei, not missing a beat, "by being your hopeless partner throughout the night. I'll be latched onto you like white on rice. Nothing's going to be getting by me tonight, I assure you."

"Hahaha really, nothing's getting by you Mr. Hong Kong Super Cop?" said Anna sarcastically as the elevator doors opened.

"Absolutely nothing." Replied Lei as the two walked inside.

"My, my. That's a lot of talk coming from a man who forgot to do up his zipper before he left his room."

"What? I didn't forget…" said Lei, trailing off as he looked down towards his trousers as the elevator door closed.

The timing was all she needed as Anna yanked at Lei's hair and pulled his head into the wall behind him.

"OWW! Jesus fricking Christ Anna, what the hell?!"

Anna's laughter echoed throughout the elevator as it moved up towards the VIP floor.

"It's just too easy with you! HAHAHAHA!" Anna squealed, almost doubling over.

Lei rubbed his head until it was numb, "Why is it always the head with you?"

"Well I'm sure you would prefer that head hurting over your other head, but then again, you are a dickless oaf so it wouldn't exactly hurt now would it?" Anna replied, smoothing out her dress.

"You are absolutely unbelievable." Lei mumbled.

"And you are hopeless. You should be worrying about your zombie friend than worrying what I may do."

"Well actually, that's another reason for me going tonight."

"Oh? What does that mean?"

"After you left me on my back today, no pun intended, I was looking over our fellow competitors' files when I noticed a fighter called Ryan Snake-Eye."

"Ryan Snake-Eye?" Anna repeated, "That's a strange name."

"Indeed, looking at the fighter's profile, his face was covered by a balaclava but I noticed a tattoo on his neck. It's same the tattoo that my partner Bryan had."

"And the guy's name is Ryan?"

"Yeah, what a coincidence am I right?" said Lei sarcastically, "I looked over the footage of his fights in the preliminaries and..."

"Yeah, and?"

"The guy's ferocious. He crushed any fighter he went up against and didn't show any sign of tiring. I'm convinced its Bryan, who else would be wearing that ski mask for?"

"Ok, so the guy's Bryan. What does that have to do with you going to the party for?"

"Bryan was always a guy who would see an opportunity wasted if he did nothing about it. On the chance that Yoshimitsu shows up tonight, Bryan will be there to get him. Who knows? It may finish up tonight for me; I find my partner, bring him in and I don't have to compete at all."

"Well hang on!" said Anna, raising her voice, "You're just gonna leave me here to sort all this shit out on my own?"

"Well yeah, you made it clear that you're not going to help me with finding Bryan so I'll let you deal with your sister on your own."

"Oh no!" yelled Anna, "Don't you dare pull that move on me! I know what you're trying to do here and quite frankly it sucks! You're even hopeless at being an asshole!"

A sound came from the elevator signalling they had reached their floor and the elevator doors opened up to reveal the VIP dance floor with the secluded VIP bar off to the distant.

"Whatever you say." Said Lei calmly, as he walked out of the elevator, ahead of Anna.

The Scarlet woman watch him go ahead, completely ignoring her. She gave a huff of disapproval and eventually followed the detective over to the bar. She watched as Lei wasted no time in introducing himself and having a friendly exchange with Paul who besides herself was the only combatant to be in every tournament so far.

"Jesus Wulong, you look terrific hahaha!" said Paul who looked pretty buzzed at this point.

"20 years is still a long time Paul." Said Lei with a smile on his face, "Age has a way of being unkind sooner or later, you think you're up for this tournament?"

"Are you kidding?! I'm in the best shape of my life! I'm like a fine wine Wulong HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Speaking of…"

Paul's eyes glanced over to Anna's direction and the Scarlet women prepared for the worst from the Hot-blooded martial artist as he sauntered over.

"Well, well, well. Ms. Williams, you have aged purrrfectly." Said Paul, rolling the "r" in perfect.

"And you have aged like a shit in the Sun." came Anna's reply, her face showing no emotion to the man before her.

"Same old Anna, hard to get I see."

"As I recall, you were out for my bitch of a sister, not me."

"And boy did I bet on the wrong horse am I right? Hahahaha, but honestly, you don't look a day over 20. What your secret booby? Some new botox or some shit?"

"Eyes up here Crapanova." Said Anna, grabbing Paul's attention away from her cleavage, "Let's just say I've been under ice for a while."

"Under ice?" Paul repeated with a hiccup.

"Trust me Paul, that's the best you're going to get as an answer out of her." Said Lei, grabbing himself a drink from the bartender.

"Intuitive as always detective, now do Mr. Mid-life Crisis a favour and put two metres between him and me. You may be hopeless, but he is downright pathetic. Now, is anyone going to get me a drink or what?"

"What'cha drinking?" said Forest, swooping into view with a smug grin.

"Who are you? Marshall Law's son or something?"

The mention of his father immediately got to Forest, "GODDAMMIT! IS IT THE HAIR OR SOMETHING?! I'm shaving this tomorrow, I swear!"

Forest quickly backed off to where King and Eddy were standing, his face red in anger. Anna put a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"Broken in one sentence? Is my new generation made up of wimps or something?"

"Some people just can't stand living in their father's shadow." Cut-in Hwoarang who came into view with a beer in one hand and a red drink in the other, "You a fan of Vodka Cranberries?"

Anna happily accepted the drink, "Well it's about time one of you boys stood up and acted like a gentleman."

"Lady, I'm hardly a gentleman. If I'm chatting up a girl and my hand isn't in her panties later on, I consider that a wasted affair."

"My, aren't you bold; talking about getting into my panties and you haven't even mentioned your name first."

"Haha, how rude of me. Name's Hwoarang."

"Does Hwoarang have a last name?"

"Hwoarang does not."

Anna looked over to see that Lei is not in ear range and turned back to the Blood Talon.

"Well," she pondered, "I'm sure there's a story there somewhere."

Xiaoyu and Julia watched Anna and Hwoarang talk away, not sure who exactly that woman is. All the while they are amazed at how peculiar she was at handling all those men in a single swipe. Everything about her felt so wrong and fake to the two but at the same time they were masked so well to direct the men in her wake.

"She's like an expert seductress." Remarked Xiaoyu.

"Slow down Xiaoyu, that's way too old for you to be saying." Said Julia.

"What? Isn't she?"

"I don't know what she is, but she seems like she knows what she's doing. Not sure why she would want to talk to that guy though, Hwoarang seems like too much of a tool to be a genuine guy."

"What about the strong, silent type?" Xiaoyu asked while pointing in Himitsu's direction.

The Lionheart had his back to everyone else at this point in time, focusing only on what he was drinking. His back was hunched over and he looked like he might have drank too much too quickly.

"What, him?" Julia acknowledged, "Are you trying to match me up with him or something?"

Xiaoyu giggled for a brief moment, "Hahaha, no but I'm sure that he likes you though, haven't you noticed how awkward he got when you were talking to him?"

Julia finished off her second beer for the night, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Not really. I only first saw him before the start of the preliminaries, I was a little angry for my own reason at the time and I kinda lashed out at him by accident. Still, he was understanding and didn't take offense to how I was acting. He's a nice guy but honestly Xiaoyu, I'm here to fight in this tournament, not to look for love or anything. Anyway, I think he just has trouble talking to women, I'm no one special."

Julia quickly covered her mouth to muffle a burp, causing Xiaoyu to laugh once again.

"Yeah hahahahaha, you're definitely an average girl, hahahaha!"

Julia laughed a bit as well but stopped when she noticed Hwoarang coming their way.

"Fucking Christ, what a high maintenance bitch!" he scoffed, "Remind every man alive to steer clear of that siren."

"Why? What happened Hwoarang?" inquired Xiaoyu.

"She blew me off! And here I was thinking that we were having a good conversation, Ha! More like she juiced me for info."

"What info could she have gotten from you?" asked Julia.

"Ehhh the fuck if I know…" said Hwoarang, scratching the back of his head, "I was telling her about my early life in Seoul and what have you and then out of nowhere she just shuts me down, can you believe it?"

"Not used to rejection Hwoarang? Better get used to it for the rest of the tournament then." Julia said with a smirk.

"Don't be mean Julia! Hahahaha!" laughed Xiaoyu, "Oh look, she's going to Himitsu!"

The three watched as Anna rose from her barstool and casually walked over to where Himitsu was drowning himself.

"Well Xiaoyu," remarked Julia, "Let's see if you're right about him then."

Himitsu had downed about six small glasses of whiskey, the bottle being left on the counter for him, and by now was feeling quite tipsy. He was weary of whether to remove himself from his barstool to try standing on his own two feet or if he should continue his binge and finish off the bottle of whiskey. He was more than halfway done with the entire drink but already he was feeling terribly dizzy in the head, amongst other places. He hadn't noticed the Scarlet woman taking the seat next to him, eyeing him with intrigue. He only noticed her there once she spoke up.

"Well, I doubt you'll be feeling sober at the presentation tomorrow night, you look downright awful."

Himitsu turned to face the woman next to him; eyeing her up and down. He had been hearing the commotion from the other two fighters who had recently entered but had paid no mind in checking them out. Anna definitely looked like the ideal femme fatale and at the same time felt like he had seen her somewhere before but he couldn't figure out where, eventually surmising that it had to do with the drink.

"What are you," he finally said, "a fighter or a prostitute?"

Anna scoffed at the question but didn't back off or retaliate in any way, "I'll let that slide on the account of you being drunk, but you should definitely show some better manners in the future." She snapped

Himitsu closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them and speaking, "What's your name?"

"Anna Williams, and you are?"

"Himitsu. Just…Himitsu."

"Jesus, what's with everyone and having no last names around here?" Anna exclaimed, leaning back in amazement, "Bartender darling, would you kindly mix me a strawberry daiquiri?"

"Certainly madam." Said the bartender, never out of earshot.

"I think you need something sweet to perk you right up hun," Anna said to Himitsu, "why would you be drinking your sorry sorrows away for? Is having no last name really that bad?"

"Hardly." Himitsu mumbled in reply, "The problems I've got, you don't wanna have alright?"

"Perhaps I could give you some advice on your troubles? I've been known to be a great listener."

"Ha! Whatever, honestly I'm not interested right now as I'm currently in the m…middle of working up a killer headache. How about you flash your tits to someone more interested, nice necklace by the way."

Anna started to laugh which struck the Lionheart as strange for a moment but soon enough forgot all about it and poured some more whiskey into his glass as well as dropping in a few ice cubes that had been left in a bucket for him to use. Anna's laughter died down once the bartender came back over with her daiquiri in hand.

"Here you are madam, do enjoy."

"Why thank you darling." Said Anna taking a sip through a straw provided, "Mmmm… just delightful, here, why don't you have a try of this?"

She passed her drink into Himitsu's view who was about to down his own drink, prompting him to pause and stare at the fruity drink.

"I've never seen a drink like this before, it's so…girly." He stated.

"Perfect for a woman like me, beautiful to look at but don't try it too many times, you may live to regret it. Go on, I don't have cooties or anything."

Himitsu shrugged and decided to give the girly drink a try. The taste was much more pleasant than the whiskey he had been drinking but he could still feel the faint burn of alcohol in the after taste. He licked his lips clean and passed the drink back to the Scarlet woman.

"Yeah, it's pretty alright. Not gonna spend the rest of the night drinking it though, what would people say?"

"That's not the point, at least it got the taste of the whiskey out of your mouth for a moment. You're obviously feeling a little better now aren't you?"

"Physically, maybe, but otherwise, nah not too many changes there."

At this time, the elevator doors opened on the VIP floor and Jin walked out. He chose to wear a dark red shirt and black slacks, along with some slick black shoes with a red heel. He looked around the dance floor to spot anyone familiar and eventually his eyes found the VIP bar where he could make out Xiaoyu with a taller woman and a guy with auburn hair that he felt he'd seen before. No sooner had Jin started to make his way through the dance floor, people swarmed around him trying to get a picture or anything of the sort. The fighters over at the bar caught up on the commotion and found Jin weaving his way through the throngs of people gathered around him. Himitsu had seen Jin also but turned back to the counter and down his drink of whiskey in one hit.

"Welp, about time my brother made an entrance." He grumbled into his empty glass.

"Brother?" Anna said, looking from Jin back to the man next to her, "Jin Kazama doesn't have a brother."

Himitsu blew a raspberry, "Shows what you know…"

Anna looked back at the raven-haired man as he approached the entrance to the VIP bar. Whether this guy as actually Jin's brother wasn't important at this point in time, the big picture was that Jin was here and for once actually out in the open. She and Lei had been keeping constant tabs on his whereabouts and had been content that he had been staying on his floor of the hotel where security would be the first line of defence should anything happen. Now that he was amongst the crowd, Jin was finally open for Anna's sister to strike. No sooner had she left her drink and risen from her chair, she found Lei right beside her.

"Still want to do this on your own?" he questioned her.

"I thought that's what YOU wanted?" Anna shot back.

Lei raised an eyebrow at Anna, not feeling the need to respond. It didn't take long for Anna to relent for once.

"Alright fine, together then."

"Best we stay near him at all times, I don't need you to remind me how dangerous your sister can potentially be."

Jin finally broke free from the crowd and as he made it to the entrance to the VIP bar, hotel security keeping anyone else from crossing the line. However, no sooner had he entered the bar, Jin found himself cut off from everyone else by Hwoarangthe guy with the auburn hair.

"Well, fucking well. Long time no see aye Kazama?" said Hwoarang with a condescending tone.

"I'm sorry whoever you are but I haven't got the time to deal with you." Jin calmly replied, taking a step to the side to get around the Blood Talon.

Hwoarang however followed along with Jin, keeping him cut off, "Excuse me? You better not have forgotten about our draw a few months ago! Shit like that don't stand you got that?!

Jin quickly remembered what this man in front of him was talking about, but that didn't change his attitude towards the Blood Talon.

"Listen," started Jin, clearly annoyed at this point, "I don't care about our last fight alright? I have more important matters to deal with than you so how about you just sit back and hope you match up against me in the finals okay? Leave me alone."

"Or," responded Hwoarang, holding Jin by his shoulder, "how about we settle this right now? Why wait? Why delay the inevitable of me kicking your ass, literally."

Jin knocked Hwoarang's hand away forcefully, with the two men staring at the other intently. Luckily Lei arrived just in time to separate the two men.

"Hey, hey, calm down and put some space between the two of you alright?" said Lei.

"I agree." Jin affirmed, moving with Lei away from a high-tempered Hwoarang.

"Well I don't agree, hang on Kazama!" he yelled, moving in their direction until Eddy and King got in his way.

"Save it for the finals idiota." Growled King, leading the Blood Talon at a free corner.

"Fuck off of me! This is bullshit!" Hwoarang yelled in defiance.

"Would you just settle down?" pleaded Eddy, "You know, you're not doing gingers any favours when people say they're all hot-headed."

"Hey, fuck you alright?" replied Hwoarang, "Just…just get me another beer, fuck!"

Lei and Jin walked over to a free spot in the bar with Anna following close behind.

"I'm guessing that guy's got a grudge against you am I right?" Lei joked.

"Yeah, you could call it that." Jin replied lazily.

"You know," pipped in Anna, coming into the view of the two men, "I could tell that guy had some complexity issues, only took me about two minutes to figure him out. What a spoiled brat hahaha."

Jin eyed the woman and then looked back over to Lei, "So, who are you two? What do you want?"

"My name is Lei Wulong, I'm a detective from the International Interpol and I'm currently employed to your grandfather, off the records specifically. I'm surprised you don't remember me however; I spoke to you in Yakushima at your mother's funeral."

Jin attention to the Super Cop perked up as he recalled the day in question, "Oh, right, yeah I remember. You told me that my mother was working along with you during the second tournament I believe."

"That's right." Lei answered cheerfully, "It's great to see you keeping up with the family tradition of fighting aye? Hahaha!"

"Right…"

"Well thanks for introducing me, detective." Anna cut in, "My name is Anna Williams, my sister is trying to kill you."

"Wh-what?" Jin stuttered.

"Geez Anna! That's not how you break in something like that!" Lei yelled at the Scarlet woman.

"What? It's better he knows sooner rather than when it's too late."

"And what, you think he's going to be able to fight in the tournament with the feeling that your sister's out there gunning for him?"

"You just said a moment ago that you understood how dangerous Nina is! Why do you always go out of your way to be completely fucking hopeless?!"

Jin quickly stepped aside as the two continued to argue and made his way over to Xiaoyu who was waving at him to approach. She was still talking with Julia who was now holding a glass of scotch.

"Jin! I'm so glad you made it!" Xiaoyu exclaimed.

"Yeah, thanks Xiao." Jin replied, trying to put his prior conversation out of his mind for a moment.

"Did you get my messages? You had me worried you know."

"Yeah, I got them. Sorry Xiao I was training at the time and didn't want to have it interrupted."

"That's okay." Said Xiaoyu with a smile, "So what made you decide to want to come?"

"Where's Himitsu?" answered Jin, getting straight to the point.

"Over there." Said Julia, waving a hand in Himitsu's direction who was still sitting at his barstool.

"Is he alright?" Jin asked with concern.

"He's just been drinking away." Xiaoyu told him, "You gonna talk to him?"

"Hmm, yeah. I guess so."

"Well, please be nice okay?"

Jin wasn't listening to Xiaoyu anymore and wasted no time in making his way over to the Lionheart, sitting at the barstool next to him and ordered himself a water from the bartender. Himitsu's head was lowered, looking only at the empty glass in his hands. The whiskey bottle before him was just about empty and any ice left in the bucket was just about all melted. He hadn't raised his head to acknowledge Jin but the raven-haired man knew that Himitsu was aware of him sitting next to him. Jin could feel his throat getting dry as he sat there, not knowing how to start off. He looked over his brother and could see a noticeable different in Himitsu from the last time they had met. He was no longer the frail man coming out of a coma and Jin was honestly surprised at how much better Himitsu's body looked from half a year ago, he had definitely worked hard to prepare for this tournament and being able to make it to the finals proved that. Hearing of the fight Himitsu had with Panda from Xiaoyu had definitely reminded Jin about the tenacious nature of his brother and to not underestimate him. Despite the years apart, despite the visible friction that could be felt, despite their woeful reunion and despite the anger hidden within; to Jin, Himitsu was still his brother and he hoped that Himitsu felt the same way about him.

"Mits…"

Himitsu took his eyes off his glass and looked at Jin for the first time.

"How you doin' bro?" he replied.

Jin cracked a smile for once at the reply, "Fine, fine. Had enough to drink?"

"I think so. You want the rest?"

"I'll pass, fine with water."

"Suit yourself, almost thought you weren't going to show."

"Yeah, I originally did not intend to come but when I heard that you were here I decided that it was time that we talked."

Himitsu's body shifted for a brief moment causing Jin to tense up momentarily but the Lionheart didn't seem to notice.

"Well, it's an open floor I guess. Whatever you wanna say, go right ahead."

Jin took in a deep breath and came clean to his brother, "I'm deeply concerned for you Mits. While months have passed, you still have only recently come out of your coma and your actions have me worried for you. What I'm doing right now is something that I have to do because I know it's the right thing to do. But you, you've gone into this without a clear mind and you're only clouding your judgement with more questions without looking into yourself and properly answering them. You need to stay out of this tournament, for your own sake. Sure, you might be physically competent and I'm proud of how far you've come in only a matter of months but at the same time you haven't had time to properly grieve the passing of our mother and you cling to this crazy idea that she's still alive. For god sakes Mits, if she were alive, why has there been no sign of her? Why hasn't she come back to us? You need to come to grip with reality, the same way I have. It pains me everytime I have to say it to myself but… our mother's dead Mits. She isn't coming back, and you have to accept that as I have. Please, back out of this tournament and save yourself, while there's still time."

Himitsu looked at Jin with a solemn face. He didn't speak, only the sound of his breathing could be heard. He took the bucket of icy water and poured its content into the empty glass he still had, spilling a little over the counter. He drank the cold water in one gulp and finally spoke himself.

"Jin, I swore to myself that no matter what, I would look after and care for you and our mother, the same way you did for me when you first took me in. With you I had a family for the first time in my life and despite not being the same blood, I felt there was a powerful bond that would bind us and keep us together through whatever hardship we may face. As that… monster beat the living shit out of me, I prayed that you and our mum would be safe and even today I hold myself to that promise. The thing is, one us is going to die at the end of this tournament, and I'll be damned if it's you over me. I've escaped my fate one too many times and I refuse to escape it once more if it means losing you. I've gone over it time and time again Jin, and everytime I end up with the same conclusion. There is just nothing to hold up that our mother is dead; the empty grave, her necklace I found outside of the burned zone of our home, there's just no way that I can believe such a lie when I can see the truth right in front of me. You can call me mad or insane all you want, but you will not shake my resolve Jin and you cannot intimidate me to back out."

Jin sighed deeply, "If I had the power, I would lock you up for your own good. You're more of a danger to yourself than to anyone else, you know that?"

"Actually that, we can agree on." Said Himitsu with a chuckle, "What that thing did to me that night, needs to die along with him, that I promise you."

"What? No Mits, I cannot lose you again, I've already lost my mother to Ogre and I'll be damned if I lose you to him as well."

"Then work with me Jin and we can get her back!"

"She is dead! Do you understand!?"

Jin was out of his seat and standing over his brother. Himitsu calmly got out of his own stool and stood up straight as well. The two were but an inch from each other and they remained unmoving and silent, their imposing physiques standing over one another as their eyes locked in a battle. That battle however was short lived as all of a sudden Himitsu felt this throat clog up, causing him to gag.

"Hold that thought." Himitsu said quickly as he backed away and reached out for the empty ice bucket.

No sooner had he brought the bucket to his face, Himitsu threw up into it. Jin doubled back to steer clear out any projectiles and he watched Himitsu nearly keel over as he vomited. It was over rather quickly as Himitsu's head slowly rose up, looking rather dazed and disorientated by the whole ordeal.

"I'm going to the bathroom." He said silently, "To be continued."

Himitsu walked off and left Jin on his own, taking the bucket with him out of precaution. Jin could only stare in shook as his brother hobbled off to the nearby restroom. Xiaoyu, Julia and Forest walked up to Jin as they had watched the scene unfold from a distance, concerned for the Lionheart and his wellbeing.

"Is he alright?" asked Xiaoyu.

"Someone should give him a hand." Added Julia, looking at Forest as she said so.

Forest looked back at Julia like she was crazy, "Wh-why me? Shouldn't HE be going?" he said pointing at Jin.

"Why should I?" asked Jin.

Forest stared at the raven-hair man in disbelief before storming off for the restroom.

"Yeah, hey you know what? Whatever! I don't have a brother, what do I know!?" he grumbled.

Forest entered the restroom and heard Himitsu throwing up in one of the cubicles towards the end of the bathroom. He walked over cautiously, hoping that he wouldn't start feeling queasy at the sight of the Lionheart vomiting as he was pretty drunk himself. The door to the cubicle that Himitsu was in was slightly ajar and Forest could make out Himitsu's legs knelt down.

"Hey, are you alright?" Forest called out.

"I'm fine." Himitsu replied through ragged breaths.

"Try breathing through your nose, you'll feel better that way."

"Ok, thanks."

Forest heard Himitsu start to breath a bit normally and soon enough he was out of the cubicle and washing his face at the sink nearby. Forest got some paper towels and handed them to Himitsu to dry his face off which the Lionheart gladly accepted.

"You didn't get any in your hair did you?" Forest asked.

"Thankfully no." Himitsu said with a chuckle, "I think I'm all good now."

"Well, just stick with water then alright? Best way to clear your system, and maybe have some bread later on with butter, always helps me when I come back from a night of drinking."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

"I guess you're not used to drinking yet, bit of a first-timer?"

"Ha, no actually, think I was about 7 when I had my first drink."

"You were seven?" said Forest in shock, "What would you parents have thought?"

"Wouldn't know, they're dead for all I know."

"Oh…I see. Well, let's get back to the party then, I think Paul wanted to do some Tequila shots, can't leave him hanging."

Drying this face off, Himitsu took a look of himself in the bathroom mirror, causing him to sigh.

"You go on ahead." He told Forest, "I just need a minute alone."

Forest thought about hanging around a little longer but eventually decided against it, "No problem bro, you take all the time you need."

Himitsu watched the man leave the restroom, leaving him the only one in there now. He turned back and looked at his face once more, the face he'd been staring at for days now with deep remorse. Right now, Himitsu felt like he was looking at himself for the first time again since he had come out of his coma; how he scaled the sink in the hospital room he had been confined to for over 3 years and stared at the weakened husk of himself that had been wasting away in that bed for what felt like eons. When he saw himself, he felt like he wasn't a part of the world around him anymore, like he had been ripped out of his time and dropped in a place so foreign and bleak, he thought he might drop dead out of the sheer shock of the whole experience. He realised that a lot of what Jin had just told him was right, he hadn't given himself time to adjust to a world he had forgotten about for 3 years and he was a mental wreck. All these foreboding events he had on his mind were wearing him down piece by piece and it was only now that he could see how much of him was gone as a result. He looked just like he did when he had woken up in that hospital, the only difference being that he wasn't so skinny anymore. Seeing this made him realise that his constant brooding over his potential fate was getting the better of him. A smarter man wouldn't have lost control like he did in Kagoshima, a smarter man wouldn't have lost control like he did against Panda and a smarter man wouldn't have taken to the drink at such a crucial time in this tournament. He was a finalist of the third King of Iron Fist Tournament, and it was time he started acting like it. There used to be only one thing on Himitsu's mind when he had awoken which he still believed unanimously from the start, that Jun was still alive. Now there were two things he believed, the second being that he could win this tournament.

Forest walked over to his friend Paul who was currently singing a random assortment of 80s music hits out loud to the displeasure of Eddy, King and Anna who all cringed at every high note that the Hot-blooded martial artist strained with.

"WOOOOOAH WE'RE HALFWAY THERE!" Paul bellowed, "WOOOO-aghh!"

Anna quickly cut-off the singing by grasping Paul's throat to stifle his vocals.

"I'm more than halfway there to ripping your throat out, you got that!?" she hissed.

King calmly pulled Anna's hand away from Paul's neck, "I think you've made your point senorita, I doubt he'll sing another tune."

"Wa-hmmm… what? Nah… I got…plenty of uh, more… songs to sing… I gotta…the music here sucks…you know?" blabbered Paul, swaying on the spot.

"I think your compadre is really for bed, amigo." King said to Forest as he approached.

"You think so? Ah well, I guess it's time Mr. Phoenix called it a night then. Shame he didn't get to take our tequila shots…" said Forest, feeling a little let-down.

"Oh he already did those." Chimed in Eddy, "Guy couldn't wait for you to come out of the restroom."

"Are you serious? Ohh, come on Paul, way to dog a friend here!"

"What? What did I do?" Paul complained as Forest started leading him out of the bar.

Anna gave a sigh of relief as the two men felt, "Thank god he's out of here, can't stand that brainless idiot."

"I'll admit; he can definitely hold his drink down." Complemented Eddy, "I wonder who will be next to back out?"

"Most likely your long-haired friend." Answered King.

"Definitely, poor guy was the first to up-chuck. And he's such a cutie, what a shame." Added Anna.

As the three continued to talk, Hwoarang was at this point the only one still drinking at the bar and his eyes were locked on Jin. Seeing how carefree his rival looked as he chatted away with Lei, Xiaoyu and Julia was getting to the Blood Talon by the second. How uninterested Jin had acted toward him had made Hwoarang feel about as wanted as a piece of trash in a garbage pile. He had been brushed off like he was nothing to the Kazama and he was going to have none of it.

"AM I NOTHING TO YOU? IS THAT IT?!" he yelled out loud, grabbing everyone's attention.

The remaining fighters turned to look at Hwoarang like he was deranged, his rant only getting started.

"Do you have any idea who I am!? Who I was up until that point?! UNDEFEATED! Every opponent I stepped up against was laid flat on his back, ALL OF THEM! And then you came along, and you fight me to a draw. A loss I could understand for I know that with a loss I can learn from my mistakes and move on. But we drew Kazama, we drew! Tell me, what is there to learn from a draw? I'll tell you, NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! I'VE HAD TO SPEND WEEKS AND MONTHS THINKING ABOUT WHAT I DID WRONG AND NOTHING CAME FROM IT! You have robbed me of a good night's sleep for nearly half a year, you got that? And when the day came when I could look you in the eye and tell you that I'm coming to beat you, YOU BRUSH ME OFF LIKE I WAS NOTHING TO YOU!"

As Hwoarang approached Jin, beer bottle in hand, Lei walked up to block his path, "Hey listen here alright. Whatever problem you have with Jin has no right to escalate here. Paul organised this so we could have a good time and not have to resort to punching each other like we will be in a few days' time. You need to cool it alright? Otherwise I might have to get excessive with you, you got it?"

Hwoarang spat on the floor at Lei's feet, "Not surprised you got a cop watching your back Kazama, what with you being a pretty boy and all. You should back off old-timer," his attention turning to the detective, "the real adults are talking here."

"You better think twice about disrespecting an officer, kid." Lei warned the Blood Talon, while he stood a few inches shorter than Hwoarang, Lei looked every bit as intimidating as possible at this point.

"You're drunk." Jin said to Hwoarang, "You're more of a danger to yourself than you'll ever be to me right now, best you go to your room and sleep on it."

Hwoarang started to laugh, "HAAAHAHAHAHA! You think I can't touch you from here? Wanna make a bet!?"

In a flash, the Blood Talon chucked the beer bottle he still held over Lei's head and right at Jin's face. Luckily Jin's reflexes were dead-sharp and he caught the bottle with ease. However, the bottle wasn't exactly empty and beer splashed out of the bottle and all over Jin's face. At this point, the raven-haired man's calm expression turned quickly erratic.

"Alright, that does it." Lei said to Hwoarang, "You've crossed the li-HEY!"

Jin had almost burst forward from where he was originally standing and had barged the detective out of the way and was now in Hwoarang's face, beer bottle still in hand. Jin's nostrils were flaring and he had the look of a madman as he stared down the Blood Talon who had a huge grin on his face as he stared straight back at Jin.

"You dropped this." Jin snarled through clenched teeth.

"Jin, don't!" Xiaoyu yelled from behind him.

"Stay out of this Xiao!" Jin yelled back at her.

"Did I?" Hwoarang said sarcastically, "What are you gonna do about it?"

Jin's grip on the bottle tightened to such an extreme that the glass cracked and broke apart in his hand. Pieces of the bottle fell to the floor with trickles of blood falling from his hand. In an instant both men raised their fists to strike and brought them down to the other's face. The two would have come to blows if not for their fists being each caught mid-swing. Both men turned to face the individual who had stopped their punches and saw Himitsu standing next to them, Jin's left fist and Hwoarang's right held tightly in his own hands.

"Enough." The Lionheart commanded, his facial expression was like stone.

Jin looked at his brother and quickly un-tensed his hand, causing Himitsu to release it, however Hwoarang didn't want to budge.

"LET GO OF MY HAND, ALBINO!" he screamed into Himitsu's ear.

Himitsu forcibly let go of Hwoarang and shoved him off, getting between him and Jin.

"Back the fuck off ginger or I'll end you!" he bellowed at the Blood Talon.

"Fucking try me bitch! I'll take the both of you on!" Hwoarang answered back defiantly.

Himitsu cackled in laughter, "You know, you remind me of this other ginger I know that tried to rape me one time. You know what I did to him last week? I beat him and his friends into a pool of their own shit and blood and threw him off a building. Trust me, I'll fucking try you anytime and anyplace, so fucking try ME!"

Lei quickly tried to calm the situation down as the Blood Talon and the Lionheart were head-butting each other.

"Alright, alright. Let's all relax and find a corner of the bar to call their own so we can…"

The detective trailed off as something from the dance floor caught his eye. He noticed a flash come from a dark corner of the floor, it was a glint and immediately the Super Cop knew what it was. He broke away from the two men and lunged at Jin.

"GET DOWN!" he yelled.

Just in time, Lei was able to knock the Kazama out of the way as a bullet whizzed past them and hit the bar, breaking a cabinet filled with liquor, causing it to crash. The crowd started to scream as the sound of the shot registered and the entire dance floor went in disarray.

"It's Nina!" Anna yelled, racing off in the direction of the gun shot.

"Everyone stay down and only move to your rooms when it is deemed safe!" Lei yelled as he took off as well, following Anna.

The Scarlet woman bobbed and weaved through the frantic crowd and she raced towards the dark corner. She changed direction when she noticed a shadow dart out of the corner and towards the fire-escape nearby, she knew it could only be her sister. Anna pushed through the crowd and raced off towards the fire-escape, seeing it quickly open and close. Lei was only a few metres behind her and had also picked up on the elusive figure making their way towards the stairwell. As he closed in, something off to the side caught his eye; a pale man stood there, unmoving and calmly watching the scene unfold before him. He was pale and wore a black t-shirt and white leather trousers with black gloves and shades. What caught Lei's attention the most was the tribal tattoo on his neck, recognisable to the detective anywhere.

"Bryan?"

The distraction was enough as Lei unknowingly collided with a group of frightened people and fell to the ground in a heap. Lei sat up off the floor and rubbed his head in discomfort as he looked around him to collect his bearings. The man he was certain was Bryan was nowhere to be seen and neither was Anna who had ran into the fire-escape. All the Super Cop could do was shake his head in anguish.

 _Way to go, Wulong._ He thought himself.

Anna was racing up the stair-well, paying close attention to the sound of the feet a few flights above her. Any other person in this situation would have collapsed out of pain from running in high-heels but for Anna Williams, it was but a minor concern. She was used to running in them and even trained in stilettos to better acquaint herself to them so she wasn't going to give up the chase due to her footwear. Finally, Anna heard the sound of a door being kicked open and a few moments later she caught sight on a swinging door and on the other side a blonde woman running off. Anna continued the chase, bursting through the door and hot on the heels of her sister as they ran through the floor. A smile curled on Anna lips as she continued to chase after her sister, knowing that this was the top floor and there was virtually no way off the building without a sharp fall to your death. She continued along, only catching quick glimpses of the Blonde assassin as she continued to cut around the multiple corners and corridors of the top floor. Finally, the two women burst through a flight of stairs and ended up on the rooftop; as the assassin leapt onto the edge of the hotel building, Anna instinctively called out to stop her sister.

"NINA, STOP!" she screamed.

Nina stopped dead on the edge of the building and slowly turned to face the Scarlet woman. She wore a purple catsuit and held a silenced rifle in her arms. While everything about her looked normal, Nina's eyes were no longer their usual ocean blue but were a misty grey. Her face was emotionless as she looked back at her sister as if she was looking at a stranger; no look of anger or hatred could be seen from her, only the look of an assassin.

"Nina, you're under the control of a monster who wants you to do nothing but kill. This isn't you Nina, you're not the same sister who hates my guts. Please, let me help you, come off the edge and we can go inside together and sort this out."

Nina kept staring at her sister without a change in her expression, then she pulled out something from behind her back that looked like a grenade and pulled the pin in it.

"I must kill Jin Kazama." Nina said in a monotone, throwing the grenade at her feet and jumping off the building.

"Wait Nina! NO!" Anna yelled as she ran towards her sister.

From the grenade came a flash which momentarily blinded the Scarlet woman as she ran towards Nina. Anna covered her eyes in pain as she stumbled onto the floor, trying to shake off the effects of the flashbang. Slowly her vision came back to her and as her eyes reopened, Nina was nowhere in sight.

"NINA!" she yelled as she ran towards the edge of the building and looked over.

To her surprise, Anna saw a rope line attracted to the side of the hotel which ran along towards a building adjacent to her own. At the end of her line she saw her sister landing on the building after zip lining over. Anna was about to follow until she saw Nina pull a knife out of a holster in her leg and cut the rope connecting the two buildings, severing the line and blocking off any chance for Anna to follow her sister. All she could do was watch as Nina raced away, leaping across multiple rooftops until she was out of sight.

Anna stayed on the rooftop and continued to watch the nightlife of Tokyo as Lei came up to the rooftop as well. He walked over to the Scarlet woman and stood beside her watching the nightlife as well.

"What happened?" he asked.

"She got away." Anna answered, "Where were you?"

"Ran into Bryan, well, saw him more like it. He was there the whole time, waiting just like her."

Anna stood silent for a moment before speaking again, "You lost him, didn't you?"

"Umm, pretty much."

"Hopeless." Said Anna, sighing.

Lei gave off a sigh himself, resting his head in his hands. He could have said the same to Anna but he truly did feel like he had let her down in this moment. He felt like he was to blame.

"Some party huh?" he said finally.

"The worst." Anna replied.

…

Himitsu was back in his hotel room after what happened on the VIP floor. He didn't wait around for anyone and as soon as Anna and Lei had raced off, he had headed off to his room on his own. He had laid the clothes he had borrowed from Eddy on top of a couch in his hotel room and was now sitting in his bed in the nude. He wasn't feeling too drunk at the moment and right now couldn't sleep. He looked over to the mirror in his room with the chair still in front of it and was about to go sit in it for a while. Thankfully his eyes trailed off the chair and instead focused on the guitar he had bought recently which was currently in a corner of his room. He got off his bed and decided to go get it, picking it up and bringing it back. As he tuned the guitar's strings, his thoughts started to brood over the impending future once again. Feelings of futility and hopelessness filled him once again as he sat in his bed and fiddled with the guitar's strings, not sure what to do. Eventually as he kept plucking away, Himitsu closed his eyes in deep thought, the sounds of random notes being played the only thing entering his mind, causing all the sadness inside him to become as equally lost as he was. His thoughts started to loosen and wander, much like in his early meditations as a child and a memory of him and Jun came into view.

" _I don't have a clue what to play mother." Himitsu said to Jun as she put up their clothing on a line to dry._

 _Himitsu strummed away at his guitar, disjointed and jumbled notes only coming back as a result, eventually Himitsu gave up and dropped the guitar onto the grass with a thud, a single note from it ringing out as if in pain from getting dropped._

 _Jun turned to face Himitsu with a disappointed look on her face, "That's no way to act Mits. Don't abuse your guitar like that, pick it up."_

 _Himitsu exhaled deeply as he picked up the instrument and hoisted it over his shoulder._

" _Why don't you play something out of those books you've got?" Jun asked Himitsu._

" _I've already learned all that kids crap." Himitsu muttered in reply, "I want to make up something of my own but I have no idea what to do."_

" _Then make something up. You can do it easily, I'm sure of it."_

" _No I can't. I'm not some sort of genius at this, I could even spell my name until I lived here."_

 _Jun walked over to Himitsu and held his face in her hands, "Listen, I don't know much about music, especially from a guitar. Such a sound is unheard of in Japan, but, you have to put your thoughts and feelings into it. Whenever you're angry and frustrated I can tell that's you wanting to bring something out from within you. You have a lot of potential but you're the only one standing in its way from coming out. Use it. Use your emotions in your playing and I'm sure you can come up with something."_

" _I don't know mum. That sounds impossible to do, it's not like my thoughts are a song waiting to happen."_

" _Sure it is. You just have to take the time to listen. Go sit under the cherry blossoms and listen to your heart. Listen to the feelings within you, you'll find something in there I promise you."_

It had been the first time that Himitsu had remembered a solid memory of his past for months now, especially one with Jun. It brought a smile to Himitsu's face as his hands kept strumming away and he soon realised that his playing had changed. It was no longer a bunch of random chords but a repeating melody: slow and constant. It was a sad melody but at the same time Himitsu didn't feel so sad himself, as if his emotions were being transferred into the instrument. As Himitsu kept plucking away, he kept on smiling. He remembered how "The Winds that Bring You Home" was something that came out of his feeling of finally have a home and how "Cosmic Fairytale" was devoted towards his mother, with this tune that he was playing, he could feel that his loneliness and sense of loss of being poured into it, a feeling of a part of his life being taken away from his and his heart feeling broken. The more he played and the more he articulated the tune from the original melody, the more he felt like these feelings while still there weren't affecting him as much. The more he played, the more tired he started to become. Eventually he stopped playing and placed his guitar on the floor next to his bed and soon enough he started to doze off. For once in a long time, he didn't have his reoccurring nightmare, his dreams were peaceful.

* * *

(My fricking God, this has to be the toughest chapter I've ever had to write. So many times I had to scrap a part and repeat it into something different and hopefully better. While chapter 22 featured just as many characters, they weren't in the same room like this and it was no small feat in making sure that no single character was at all bland and left out. I feel like I did pretty well with Hwoarang, Anna and Lei but I didn't put as much focus as I should have on characters like Eddy, King, Julia and even Xiaoyu at times. hopefully in the following chapters they can be expanded upon and I can develop their characters and feelings a little better. Frankly I'm pleased with how I've been handling Forest so far, he's been a surprising character that I think I've done something original with him on this site so I'm happy about that and trust me, Paul will not be made into a laughing stock like how Harada treated him. At one time he was the number one rival to Kazuya and now he has trouble defeating a bear. DAMN YOU HARADA! Anyway, as exams draw near, I will be putting a hiatus on this story once again, I've already fucked up with my assignments as it is and I need to finish off a couple which are piling up on me. I think I will be using my profile page as an update platform where I can change up the bio to give updates on the story as I eventually get back into it. Once June rolls by I hope that I can have the Tekken 3 part of the story done before August, as long as No Man's Sky doesn't take up my existent hahaha. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and I want to thank all the loyal readers who have been so engrossd into this story with special mention to CarolinaBP who's been a real support in me continuing this fiction of mine. Thank you all!)


	29. Chance Reunion

(I'm back! Feeling that I need to apologise for my absence these past few months and lack of uploads. Main reasons for the hiatus do generally come down to laziness but also some private circumstances as well. The good news is that I'm back to write up more of this little fanfic of mine. Will try to aim for more weekly uploads if possible but as I am in my second semester at the time of uploading this chapter, it remains to be seen. Wish I could have put more into this chapter but going through the whole day could have taken up too much time and left you guys with nothing in the meantime. At the end of the day, the Tale of Two Brothers is back for your amusement and it only gets better from here, stay tuned for thanks for reading!)

* * *

Chapter 29 – Chance Reunion

Heihachi sat lazily in his chair as he brushed aside pictures from the hotel's CCTV footage from last night. Most of the pictures featured the VIP dance floor and were showing a woman in a purple catsuit and a few more pictures capturing a chase through the top floor and finally the rooftop of the building. One pile had been made largely of all the photos featuring the blonde assassin while a much smaller pile had only a small number of pictures of a pale man wearing shades.

Heihachi flicked through the smaller pile and finally looked up at the two individuals before him. Lei and Anna were seated at the opposite side of the large desk before them, watching the bemused expressions that Mr. Mishima registered on his face as he looked through the photos and finally that them.

"Well?" Heihachi questioned, "Have anything to say for yourself?"

The two quickly looked at each other and quickly back at the old man sitting before them, not sure what more needed to be said.

"Is this what you think I expect from people working under me? That you can just go about having fun and attending parties and forget that you have a job to do?" Heihachi's nose was starting to become enflamed.

"Your grandson was not harmed last night and that was largely due to both of us attending that party." Replied Lei finally, "We did so to ensure his safety."

"And what of the safety of our guests!?" Heihachi blasted back, "Now people will think that my organisation can't guarantee the safety of my most valuable members, I have a business to run if you don't remember!"

Anna flicked her hair behind her neck with a huff, notably unfazed by the man's clearly angered demeanour.

"Listen gramps, we're not here to protect your company okay? Our job is to catch my sister and that's what we're gonna do. As for your company, I couldn't give the slightest fuck on the planet so spare the lecture."

The room got uncomfortably silent for a moment as Heihachi seemed to stop breathing altogether and his eyes locked dead on to Anna's. The Scarlet woman was still unfazed by Mr. Mishima whilst Lei felt the need to break the silence before someone got thrown out of the building.

"Don't forget about-"

"Oh fuck your dead partner!" Anna yelled out, "The guy's been too chicken-shit to do anything since he's got here! Forget about him and focus on my sister, the one who's actually tried to kill her target so far."

"Bryan is a very calculated man, he's not to be underestimated Anna." Lei responded.

"Oh really!? The fuck's calculated about standing in the middle of a night club where his target's nowhere to be found?! And on top of that, you- wait scratch that, WE already know that he's entered this tournament under an obvious alias and you've made no effort in tracking him down! You're fucking hopeless!"

"Hang on, I've been the one stuck behind a desk looking through all the security tapes and archives on hand to find not only Bryan but your sister as well. I'm the one putting in the hard yards, what have you done? Furthermore, as I recall, it was me that saw Nina first and saved Jin's life, not you!"

"Oh, hooray for you big boy, want a medal?"

"ENOUGH!" cut in Heihachi, instantly putting the dysfunctional duo on mute.

Both Lei and Anna were upstanding and upon Heihachi's booming voice, the two quickly remembered where they were at that moment. The Scarlet woman was however quick to recompose herself and made her way for the door.

"I'm off." She stated, "Don't bother getting in touch with me for the rest of the day, I won't answer."

Heihachi got to his feet sternly, "Anna," he called out, "You are still to attend the opening ceremony tonight, that's final."

Anna looked back to Mr. Mishima and blew him a kiss tainted in satire, "Of course boss man, whatever you want, hahahahaha…"

With a sigh of boredom Anna exited the office leaving Heihachi and Lei on their own. The two men gave one last glance at the door and then sat back on at opposite sides of the large desk before them.

"Unbelievable…" groaned Lei, rubbing his temple in displeasure.

"The same goes for you, detective." Said Heihachi, "You're to attend the ceremony, and this time, make sure everything goes according the plan, no more slip-ups like last night for I won't be as forgiving. Understood?"

"Y-yes sir." Replied Lei with a gulp.

A trademark "Hmpf!" came from Mr. Mishima as he turned his chair to look out at the city of Tokyo before him, there was hardly an area of the huge city that couldn't be seen from Heihachi's office, a fact that Mr. Mishima held in high regard for himself.

"As of now the Williams sister is to be your top priority." Heihachi said to the still present Lei, "She is not to have such an opportunity on my grandson from here on out."

"And what of Bryan…sir." Asked Lei.

"As he is officially entered into the tournament as a finalist he will already be under the surveillance of my Tekken Force. So far he has been… compliant so as of yet he remains simply a finalist in my tournament. Just make sure he stays that way."

"Are you sure that's wise Mr. Mishima? You don't know Bryan like I-"

"Are you going against my orders?" Heihachi said with a raised voice, commanding authority in every word.

"No, sir…" replied Lei with a defeated expression. It was better not to continue this subject in the detective's eyes.

"Good. Now get out of my office." Commanded Heihachi with a wave of his hand.

The detective left the office, almost dragging his feet as he exited. Heihachi took no notice of Lei as he left, instead looking out the windows of his office and brooding over upcoming plans. Eventually he turned his chair and called his receptionist on his intercom.

"Yes Mishima-sama." The woman on the other line said politely.

"Call Dr. Abel to my office, I wish to speak with him on his upcoming developments."

…

A hoarse groan escaped the lips of Himitsu as he stirred from his sleep. His mouth felt dry and his stomach ached terribly. The effects of the hangover were in full effect now as the Lionheart groggily sat up; his hair was a complete mess and his skin felt greasy with sweat. Seeing the hotel room phone at his bedside table, Himitsu reached for it and called room service, a voice on the other line quickly answered.

"Good afternoon sir, room service speaking."

"Yeah hey… can I get- wait, did you say afternoon?" asked Himitsu.

"Yes sir, it's currently 2.38 in the afternoon." Replied the voice, "Can I help you with anything?"

Himitsu tapped the phone on his head a few times, scolding himself for getting up so late then quickly responded.

"Umm, are you still serving any breakfast?"

"We can have something made for you sir, no trouble on our behalf. What were you after?"

"Shit, uhhh I don't know. Something to get rid of his hangover if you got anything like that."

"Might I recommend the Continental sir?"

"Yeah sure, whatever that is. Bring it up as soon as you can."

"Certainly sir, we can have it to your room in about 15 minutes."

"Thanks." Ended Himitsu hanging up the phone.

The Lionheart then hopped out of his bed and made his way to the bathroom. Once there, he ran himself a warm shower and stood under the stream of water for a bit, eventually sitting down under the hot water as it washed away the sweat from his body and at the same time gulped down the water whenever he could. His memories of the prior night were quite vivid, the amount of drinks he had not really affecting his recollection of the events that transpired. He remembered talking to Jin, nearly throwing up on himself and getting in that ginger haired fighter's face. Finally, he remembered the gunshot; it had missed him by only so much yet at the time he couldn't comprehend what was happening at that point in time. Really, all that he could think about was talking to his brother once again, their talk from last night nowhere near resolved.

After his shower and quickly eating his breakfast, much to the delight of his stomach; Himitsu set off out of his room in search of Jin. The halls and corridors of the hotel felt blurred in his vision, the effects of the alcohol still lingering. With no idea where his brother resided, he took the elevator to the ground floor and asked one of the clerks in the lobby for Jin's hotel number.

"Tournament regulations prohibit us from giving out the address of the fighters to any personnel, even the opposing fighters themselves, I'm sorry sir." The clerk answered.

"I'm not trying to sabotage him or anything, I just need to speak to him." Himitsu pleaded.

"Your only option would be to find him yourself then sir, there is nothing more we can do."

"Damn." Cursed Himitsu under his breath, "Well, where can I go to train? We should have some dedicated building for that right?"

"The tournament's official training facilities are located adjacent to the stadium sir. Should be a short walk from here." The clerk replied.

Himitsu thanked the clerk for their help and set off for the stadium. Once again Himitsu was wearing his chrome silver windbreaker and orange tracksuit pants along with his Tetsuwa bracelets and his combat gloves. The hood of the windbreaker was cast over his head and its sleeves covered his bracelets as to keep him inconspicuous while walking through the huge crowds of people in the Tokyo streets. In every face he saw, Himitsu could tell that everyone was highly anticipating the upcoming tournament for the final 16 as officially, this was when the real tournament began. All across the globe, people would be watching this highly televised event, cheering on their favourite. The excitement was thick in the air as crowds chanted for their favourite fighter and Himitsu was glad that he wasn't hearing his name.

After a 10 minute walk, Himitsu eventually arrived at the site of the Tekken stadium. The huge complex had a very modern design to it, looking far larger than a football stadium. On the outside, huge rectangular monitors displayed advertisements and shadowed images of the competing fighters, their identity being kept tight lipped for now although most of the profiles could be easily distinguished by the people standing nearby. Himitsu moved away from the stadium and walked towards the nearby building which the hotel clerk said would be the tournament's training facility. While not nearly as large as the stadium, the building had similar external features to the stadium and the Mishima Zaibatsu crest could be seen clearly. Himitsu walked up the front step to the entrance, only to be stopped by a couple members of the Tekken Force, guarding the way in.

"Halt, only official personnel may enter." One of the soldiers proclaimed.

"It's alright," said Himitsu, removing his hood, "I'm a fighter, I'm here to train."

"Name?"

"Himitsu."

The soldier held up a tablet and after a couple taps on the screen the tablet was positioned in front of the Lionheart's face. Himitsu backed up only for the soldier to tell him to do otherwise.

"Stay still!" the soldier barked, after a few seconds he took the tablet away, "Ok, you can go through."

"The fuck was that?" Himitsu questioned.

"Brought up your profile and ran a match. We can never be too careful." The soldier answered.

"Do I have to do this everytime I come here then?"

"Pretty much, yeah. You going in or what?"

Himitsu had a chuckle and continued past the soldiers and into the facility. The inside was even more sleek and modern than the outside. The walls were all a sparkling white with art décor put around, matching the overall theme of the interior. The whole place had an uncanny calming effect on the Lionheart as he went up to the front desk and asked the staff member there for directions to where he could train. While it was obvious that Himitsu was hoping to find his brother here, he really needed to get a sweat going on and work off anything unnecessary that he picked up from last night. The staff member had a colleague show Himitsu where to go and after going up a few floors Himitsu was led into a large training dojo.

"If you wish to train somewhere else, the elevator over there will take you to the other training floors of the facility." The staff member instructed Himitsu, "Also there will be staff on every level to provide you with refreshments when you need it."

"Thanks." Grunted Himitsu.

Once left alone, Himitsu had a good look at the dojo he was in. The dojo where he trained in Okinawa was its own building and yet didn't feel as big as this one did. At all corners were training equipment to utilise while the centre as a huge sparring mat with four sections made out to signify areas to practice. In one of the far corners of the dojo Himitsu could make out two individuals those faces though he couldn't make out from the distance had features he recognised. Upon walking closer to the two, Himitsu saw that it was Xiaoyu and Julia. _Perhaps she can tell me when Jin is…_ Himitsu pondered to himself as he came with earshot of them.

"I still don't get why they want us wearing our fighting attire tonight." Ranted Julia to Xiaoyu, "I mean, wouldn't we look all out of place?"

"Well, we're in the tournament to fight. Maybe there's gonna be a match on this very night?" Xiaoyu responded.

"That would be silly. They have to give everyone time to prepare for their match."

"Well I'm sure you can wear whatever you're comfortable with. It's not like they know what you're going to dress up in."

"Fair point. In that case I know what I'll showing up in."

"I didn't know training for a tournament had to do with what you wear." Pipped in Himitsu, grabbing the girl's attention.

"Oh hey, Himitsu!" beamed Xiaoyu, "Here to train with us?"

"Hmm, well I am here to train, just not with anyone really."

"Why so secretive?" asked Julia.

"Yeah, sure you don't want to spar with us? It'll be fun." Added Xiaoyu.

"I appreciate you wanting to include me, but I'd rather not let you in on what I can do if you know what I mean." Said Himitsu.

"Wow, don't have to be such a prude you know." Pouted Xiaoyu, "It's not like we want an upper-hand on you or anything."

"Hahaha, I know, I know. But I really did come here to train alone so…"

"Don't worry Xiao, it's no biggie. Probably just wants to be left alone like Hwoarang." Said Julia.

"What, is he here?" asked Himitsu.

"Yep, he's on one of the other levels." Replied Julia, "But anyway, how are you feeling from last night? We all didn't see you after that shot came by."

"I'm doing fine, didn't want to hang around the bar anymore after that so I quietly backed out. Did wake up with the usual suspects of a heavy night out but a shower and a late breakfast sorted that. Um, what about you?"

"Yeah I was all good, had Xiao help me back to my room but I wasn't all that tipsy really. All in all, it was a fun night and exactly what I needed."

"Well that's good. Alright, I'll leave you two to talk more about clothes then." Said Himitsu with a chuckle.

"Ok, have fun training on your own." Julia said back.

"Will do." Himitsu said walking around before stopping and turning around quickly, "Hang on, Xiao, you wouldn't happen to know where my brother is do you?"

Xiaoyu pondered the question for a moment before answering, "The last I saw him was this morning. It looked like he was heading out on his bike but I have no idea where."

Himitsu's shoulders drooped slightly at the answer.

"Oh, ok then. Well, see ya."

"Yeah, see ya!" Xiaoyu said with a wave.

Himitsu went off to an empty portion of the dojo and went to work training. After a few minutes of stretches, the Lionheart started off by practicing some combinations on a heavy bag. His strikes were quick and powerful, knocking the bag back and forth with ease. His attacks made it look like the bag would split open at any moment but his attacks were restrained, focusing on technique over power. Himitsu would practise his combos for a good 10 minutes before finally leaving the bag, after which Himitsu would then transition to a full body workout. The workout consisted of mainly body-weight exercises from one-handed push ups to chin-ups and pull-ups on a high bar as well as a few sets of squats on a squat-rack and deadlifts.

Himitsu's intense workout went on for nearly a whole hour with barely any rest time. Xiaoyu and Julia even though they were busy training themselves couldn't help but steal a few glances at the Lionheart. As they finished up and started to leave; Xiaoyu noticed her new friend almost walking into some training equipment as they walked by, generating a giggle from the pig-tailed girl.

"What's so funny?" scoffed Julia, picking up on Xiaoyu's giddiness.

"Hahaha, oh nothing. You do seem pretty distracted though." Xiaoyu replied with a wink.

Julia felt her cheeks heat up suddenly, "I have no idea what you're taking about!"

Julia quickly marched out of the dojo in a grumpy mood with Xiaoyu chasing after her, laughing and apologising all the way. Himitsu saw the two girls leave and breathed a sigh of relief, he was pretty exhausted at this point and felt much calmer now that there were no prying eyes on him. He could feel the two girls staring at him as he continued his workout and it only served to muddle up his focus. Himitsu felt like he needed a moment of tranquillity and decided to finish his workout there. Taking a bottle of water from one of the staff patiently waiting on hand, Himitsu went over to the dojo's elevator in the hope of finding somewhere to relax on one of the other levels available. The doors glided open as soon as he pressed the intercom and he stepped inside to select a level to go to. Himitsu saw a level with the word "Pool" displayed and pressed on the corresponding button.

The elevator quickly ascending up to the floor and the doors once again glided open to reveal what looked like an outdoor resort combined with an outdoor gym. More training equipment was on display but in comparison to the dojo, the floor was bright and vibrant and in the middle was the centre-piece of the floor, a large swimming pool. Himitsu was about to step out of the elevator until he noticed the floor's current occupant.

By the pool was the Blood Talon himself, Hwoarang. The Korean was hard at training himself with leg-weights latched onto his lower legs as he stood in his Flamingo stance, performing lightning quick kicks and continuously alternating between both his left and right foot. Hwoarang was already looking at the elevator door as it had opened and now the two men were staring down at one another. Neither said a word nor moved a muscle as they looked at each other, studying their potential opponent in the tournament and eyeing any sense of doubt in the other's eyes. Eventually Himitsu averted his gaze and pressed a button in the elevator to close its doors, flicking the white strands of his hair away from his eye as the doors shut.

Quite done with that level and everything in it, Himitsu looked back at the levels on display and noticed the word "Temple" displayed at the top. With a shrug, the level was punched in and the elevator started to ascend once more. Moments later the doors flew open once more, Himitsu standing in silence at the sights before him. The area around him was incredibly silent apart from the faint sound of wind blowing through the scenery before him. A narrow stone walkway stretched out from the elevator that right now looked completely out of place and on either side of the walkway was a pattern of intricate Japanese rock gardens that followed the walkway to a Shinto gate. Beyond the gate, Himitsu could see a stoic Shinto temple just in the distance.

"Am I still in the facility?" Himitsu said out loud to himself as his walked slowly forward, absorbing the tranquillity around him.

Passing the Shinto gate, the patterns of rock gardens were replaced by several cherry blossom trees following the walkway up to the temple. Himitsu stopped in the middle on the walkway at this point, feeling a huge flurry of emotions hitting him all at once. He could hear the wind, which seemingly came from nowhere, passing through the trees before him which made him instantly think about Jun. The constant banging in his heart of the reason he was here took over him in that brief moment as he closed his eyes and pictured the face of his mother in his mind. It had been so long since he had last seen her face but still her visage shined through to the Lionheart, filling him with hope and purpose.

A random noise from within the wind snapped Himitsu out of his state, his eyes shot open and he scanned the area around him. He wasn't alone.

Looking up to the temple, Himitsu surmised that the sound had come from within and proceeded to investigate. Walking up the steps and entering the Haiden, Himitsu could make out the silhouette of a strange looking man in the darkness. What was so strange about the man apart from the shape of his head was the fact that the man looked to be levitating on the spot. Himitsu silently took a few steps further inside the temple and as his eyes started to adjust he realised that the man wasn't at all levitating but was instead balancing on what looked like a sword. Even more strange was that the sword gave off a green glow in the darkness, casting a grim light on the figure just above it. At the sight of the glowing weapon and the mere fact that the man was literally balancing himself on it without moving, Himitsu thought it best to leave the man well alone, whoever he may be. However, while slowly backing away, Himitsu accidently put a foot too hard on the wooden floor causing it to creak. Himitsu winced at the sound, cursing under his breath as his eyes shot right at the man, expecting him to instantly strike. Instead, the man's head lifted up slightly at the sound and ever so calmly he turned his head to see the Lionheart standing at the entrance to the temple.

"Hmmmmmmmm…" came a somewhat electronic tone from the man as he planted his feet back on the floor and sheathed his sword.

Himitsu didn't move a muscle as he stared right at the person before him. The man simply turned his back and started lighting up a few lanterns in the temple, illuminating the hall of worship and allowing Himitsu to get a better look at the man. From head to toe, the man adorned a creepy looking skeletal armour that shined in the low light. Even his face was covered up with a helmet that had the look of the human skull in some ways yet the cranium extended out of the back of the man's head. His pants covered up to his knees and were a dark green with ornate designs at the bottom and underneath the armour his wore on his upper body, Himitsu could make out a red undershirt which made the armour stand out even more.

"Forgive the prior darkness," the man said all of a sudden as he continued lighting up the temple, "I sometimes like to meditate in it to maintain focus."

"…"

The man turned around to the still silent Himitsu, "Is everything all right?"

"You tell me." Himitsu eventually replied.

It was uncanny but Himitsu could have sworn he knew his man. The longer he stared, the more he felt like he had seen, or better yet, known his man from somewhere before. The armour, the sword, even the voice all seemed oddly familiar.

"I can assure you that I mean you no harm." The man continued, "I wouldn't dare harm a soul in a temple of worship."

Himitsu started to ease off a bit at these words, the man sounded quite genuine and respectful kept his distance as he spoke.

"It seems we have both come here for reflection, a good thing to do with the tournament looming."

"You're a fighter?" Himitsu asked.

"Of course, why would I be here if I wasn't? And you? Are you also a competitor?"

"Yeah, I am."

Himitsu held out of hand to pause and slowly pointed a finger towards the man before him.

"What is your name?"

The man's head pull back slowly at the question, looking intrigued at the request but no less willing to comply.

"It's Yoshimitsu." He replied.

The mere mention of the name hit Himitsu like a wave of memories washing over him. The name was even to this day unforgettable to the Lionheart as a smile came onto his face. The Swordsman noticed the smile and looking perplexed by the sudden happy expression.

"It seems you know of my name." Yoshimitsu said curtly.

"Actually, it's you I know of. We met once, quite some time ago." Said Himitsu, taking a step forward.

"Oh? And when might that have been?"

"One night many years ago in a city on Kyushu called Kagoshima, a ninja saved a young boy from this gang hideout who the boy that ventured into to get a necklace back from."

Himitsu held up his left hand, showing the golden necklace still wrapped around it. Yoshimitsu looked to the makeshift bracelet and started to remember the night in detail as Himitsu continued.

"After that ninja defeated the gang, he took the young boy in his arms and flew him across the city, something that boy never forgot about as it made him laugh for the first while in his life as far as he was aware."

Himitsu took another step closer shortening the distance between the two.

"After the ninja dropped the boy off at a temple, kind of like this one, he asked the boy what his name was."

"And the boy said he had no name." Yoshimitsu said before Himitsu could, his memory of the night resurfaced.

"Exactly, so the ninja let it go and was okay that the name of the boy would remain a mystery, a Himitsu as he called it. But that secret became more than just a purpose for the boy, the secret became his name. It became his identity and a reminder of the first person ever to show him kindness and love. To that boy, the ninja became a symbol of hope for him and he is eternally grateful for that."

"I see."

The two stood silent for a moment, taking in this chance re-encounter. It was a day that Himitsu never thought would happen, the days since their meeting grew so long apart that he was certain that he would never see Yoshimitsu again. Still though, he remembered the man who saved his life that night, giving him a second chance and it was thanks to the Swordsman that Himitsu was the man he was today.

"This may sound strange," Himitsu began, flicking the white strands away from his face, "but can I… um…"

"What is it child?" Yoshimitsu asked with concern.

Without warning, Himitsu reached out and hugged the ninja. Yoshimitsu froze up on the spot by this strange action as Himitsu buried his head into the ninja's shoulder and held him in a tight embrace. For Himitsu, seeing Yoshimitsu was like seeing Jun again. He felt the same emotions looking at the Swordsman as he did for his mother. If anything, Yoshimitsu was without a doubt the closest thing to a father that Himitsu ever had in his life. Tears started to leave the eyes of the Lionheart as Himitsu continued to hold on to the ninja and silently weep. Yoshimitsu could hear the faint sounds of sobbing from Himitsu and eventually his body relaxed and he reciprocated the hug by embracing Himitsu as well, awkwardly patting him on the back. This was definitely an experience that Yoshimitsu never thought he would experience, a random stranger hugging him. But this was definitely no stranger as the ninja could tell the struggle through life that Himitsu had been through; the scars he bore and the pain in his eyes. Himitsu had been through a lot a right now, and Yoshimitsu could tell that this was exactly what the young man needed.

Eventually Himitsu released the ninja and took a step back, wiping the tears from his eyes and hanging his head meekly.

"Sorry about that." He mumbled.

"All is forgiven." Yoshimitsu replied, "It is good to see you again, how you've grown."

"Yeah haha." Chuckled Himitsu, scratching his head, "It kinda happens when you're a kid and all."

"And what about this scar?" said Yoshimitsu, tracing the pattern of Himitsu's scar in front of him, "Surely not a gift of adolescence."

"It's a long story."

"Hmmmm, then I will not press the matter further if you wish."

"Maybe one day I'll tell you about it. For now, I did come up here to clear my mind."

"Oh, so you took my advice then?"

"I did. Went to that temple almost every day, partly because I thought I might see you there again."

"Ahh… I'm sorry to have gotten your hopes up."

"Don't be."

Himitsu walked past the ninja and went further into the temple, reaching the main hall. Yoshimitsu followed behind, studying the Lionheart as he approached the kami and bowed to it. Seeing the respect shown by the young man pleased Yoshimitsu as he recalled the nature of Himitsu as a boy. Still, the ninja could sense that there was a hint of doubt in Himitsu demeanour to meditate, almost as if something was holding him back.

"You seemed reluctant." Yoshimitsu called out.

"It's that obvious?" asked Himitsu, sitting down in front of the kami.

"Don't be too concerned, I can guide you through it if you wish."

"Well, as long as you don't sit on your sword."

The ninja chuckled and took a seat next to Himitsu, both turning to face one another.

"Be at peace with yourself." Yoshimitsu began, "Open your mind and let the past mistakes you've made be washed away and cleansed. Feel only the need to embrace the future as the story of your life is only so young and unwritten."

Himitsu shut his eyes and listened on to the wise words of the Swordsman as his consciousness started to push and bend the darkness. Like a mantra, the ninja's words kept Himitsu on a safe track as his thoughts danced around his more recent memories. He remembered his days of training in Okinawa, his night of retribution on Kagoshima, his fights in the preliminaries of the tournament as well as his second confrontation with Jin. Out of the darkness, Yoshimitsu's voice could be heard.

"Do not be concerned with the light you cannot make yourself. The moon shines brightly every night it hangs over us from up high, but it's light is not its own. It reflects the light of the Sun onto Earth, giving off a calm brightness, even in the most troubling of nights. Like the moon, you too must learn to reflect onto those around you the light of the Sun. You do not need to make your own light as you have plenty of it around you, simply learn to reflect it back. Reflect it back Himitsu."

The mantra of the ninja defeated all the conflicting thoughts in Himitsu's mind, allowing him to push through his memories and for once in a long time, truly meditate. Himitsu could see himself in a forest's glade; the colours of the trees and grass were a vibrant green with lush flowers all around adding a rainbow of colours into the Lionheart's spectrum. The trees were teeming with forest critters all chirping an intangible melody. Himitsu remained seated, taking in the beautiful vision around him. From up through the canopy of the forest, the Sun's rays peeked in through the trees and bathed Himitsu in its warm glow and at the same time light reflected of the Lionheart, dancing around the glade. It was the perfect state of equilibrium and a serene feeling that Himitsu thought he could never find again.

Himitsu finally felt himself pull away from the blissful scenery and re-enter reality. He exhaled deeply and opened his eyes, looking back at the ninja on the temple around them. Himitsu noticed at Yoshimitsu's head was bowed down and a hand of his was resting on Himitsu's shoulder. While it wasn't apparent, Himitsu could sense that the ninja was having troubling thoughts; his breathing as heavy and his body looked tense. Eventually Yoshimitsu looked up at Himitsu and wasted no time in letting the Lionheart in on what had been made apparent to him.

"What gave you this scar?" he asked plainly.

"The scar? Is it important for you to know?"

"I may already know who did this to you, but I wish for you to make it certain for me."

Himitsu took in a deep breath and uttered, "Ogre, a being known as Ogre did this."

Yoshimitsu remained silent for a moment, his hold on Himitsu's shoulder easing off as he sighed. He patted the shoulder and retracted his arm.

"I'm sorry you've had to go through such an ordeal, I can understand your pain also, you've been through a lot I'm sure."

"I don't think you can begin to understand my pain if I'm being honest here." Himitsu replied, "I've gained nothing but suffering at the hands of that monster, he took everything from me."

"Loss and suffering are elements that I know only too well, child." Yoshimitsu said, unsheathing his sword and holding it out for Himitsu to see, "I'm sure you've noticed the glow of my blade, right?"

Himitsu nodded, "Yeah sure, why's it like that now?"

"My sword is a very sacred instrument of my trade. It was forged to banish evil but more importantly, it feeds on our life energy. For a while I was able to sate its hunger on the wicked, but the sword always hungers for more and when it goes hungry, it… well, feeds off its owner. It's why I have this."

Yoshimitsu held out his left hand which started to spin at the wrist.

"This sword has taken just as much as it has given for me; a trait we share with a common enemy for I too wish to seek Ogre out. As for my sword; I still wield it regardless, do you know why?"

"I dunno," muttered Himitsu, "perhaps you're just a little bit foolish."

"Funny, but no. The sword serves as a constant reminder of my duties. It keeps me diligent and unyielding in my resolve for justice. I will continue to wield this blade until I cannot do so anymore and I am prepared for not only the rewards it gives me but the punishment as well. We all have our duties to uphold and sometimes even our responsibilities can harm and damage us. It is the strong-willed that make the decision to pull through regardless, and you can do so as well. Carry your scars like an accolade and you will be shielded from all dangers. What Ogre has done to you, that's the worst of it but you're still here. Take solace in that fact for you are truly powerful and know that Ogre can do no worse to you, especially now."

Himitsu thought on these words, accepting the wisdom of the ninja. It had been a while since anyone had talked sense to the Lionheart like Yoshimitsu had just then, apart from Sensei Nikibo and it had done Himitsu a lot of good to listen. While he had never publicly sulked about his past to anyone, the ninja's words did ring home to him. The scares he had gained from Ogre would only make him suffer if that was what he saw them as such. He was always ashamed of his mild disfigurement but never thought about seeing it as a positive, a symbol of not only survival but perseverance as well. He was so close now, he could even feel within him that Ogre was near and his goal within reach. On the eve of the tournament, a clear mind was exactly what the Lionheart needed for the battles ahead. For now, the luck of the draw would dictate how far away Himitsu would be from facing Ogre again and finding his mother. He was ready.


End file.
